Indonesian Democracy Booster: Anies Baswedan Praises Students’ Role in Axing Presidential Threshold
In a significant political development, former Jakarta Governor and potential presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has hailed the role of students from UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta in abolishing the presidential election threshold. The Constitutional Court (MK) ruled in favor of the students, scrapping the 20% minimum vote threshold for presidential candidates.
Anies took to social media to commend the students, Enika Maya Oktavia, Rizki Maulana Syafei, Tsalis Khoirul Fatna, and Faisal Nasirul Haq, stating, "They are young people who strengthen Indonesian democracy, not those who undermine it." He further expressed that youth like them ignite new hope for Indonesia’s democratic future.
Previously, Article 222 of Law Number 7 of 2017 on General Elections required presidential and vice-presidential candidates to be nominated by political parties or coalitions securing at least 20% of seats in the House of Representatives or 25% of votes in the previous legislative election. The MK ruled that this article contradicts the Constitution, as it infringes on political rights and people’s sovereignty.
Now, any political party can nominate a presidential candidate. However, to prevent an excessive number of candidates, the MK recommended constitutional reforms, including encouraging parties to form coalitions while avoiding dominantly large coalitions.
(nis/vws)
