November 3, 2024

KPU Officially Accommodates Supreme Court Decision Regarding Age Limits in Regional Elections

The General Election Commission (KPU) accommodates the decision of the Supreme Court (MA) Number 23 P/HUM/2024 regarding the minimum age for regional head candidates in KPU Regulation (PKPU) Number 8 of 2024, which was officially promulgated on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. In Article 14, paragraph 2, letter d PKPU, candidates for governor and deputy governor must be at least 30 years old, while candidates for regent and deputy regent must be at least 25 years old starting from the time of inauguration.

“A minimum age of 30 (thirty) years for Candidates for Governor and Candidates for Deputy Governor and 25 (twenty-five) years for Candidates for Regent and Candidates for Deputy Regent as well as Candidates for Mayor and Candidates for Deputy Mayor,” reads Article 14 paragraph 2 letter d.

Furthermore, Article 15 confirms the minimum age limit: the gubernatorial candidate and his deputy are 30 years old from the date of inauguration and 25 years old for the regent candidate and his deputy or the mayoral candidate and his deputy at the time of the inauguration of the elected candidate pair.

For information, previously, the Supreme Court granted the lawsuit filed by the General Chair of the Garuda Party, Ahmad Ridha Sabana, regarding Article 4 paragraph 1 letter d PKPU Number 9 of 2020 concerning nominations in regional elections. In the lawsuit, the Supreme Court granted the lawsuit against the regulation on the lowest age limit for the positions of governor, regent, and mayor, which previously started from the time the candidate pairs were determined, then changed to when the candidate pairs were inaugurated.

This decision is thought to be a way to allow President Joko Widodo’s son, Kaesang Pangarep, to run in the 2024 regional elections. In fact, if you refer to the old rules, Kaesang cannot contest the regional elections because he is not even 30 years old when the candidate pair is determined in September 2024. []