The recent Supreme Court ruling altering the minimum age requirement for gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial candidates has sparked criticism, with many viewing it as a move to clear the path for President Joko Widodo’s youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, to run in the 2024 gubernatorial election.
The Supreme Court amended the rule stipulating that candidates must be at least 30 years old at the time of registration and candidacy declaration to now be calculated from the time of the elected candidate’s inauguration.
Kaesang will turn 30 on December 25 this year. Under the previous rule, he would not meet the age requirement to register for the gubernatorial election, as he would need to be 30 by August 2024.
Sugeng Suparwoto, Deputy Chairman of the NasDem Party’s Executive Board, criticized the maneuvering of rules to favor specific individuals.
“There’s no need to bend the rules just to allow someone to run. It’s dangerous if we go down that road,” Sugeng said on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
Sugeng also referenced the previous Constitutional Court’s decision that paved the way for Gibran Rakabuming, Kaesang’s elder brother, to run as a vice-presidential candidate, emphasizing the significant social and psychological costs of such decisions.
