Tens of thousands of protesters gathered outside the Indonesian parliament on Thursday, leading to clashes with police.
The protests were sparked by the government’s attempt to reverse a recent constitutional court ruling that allowed political parties to field candidates without a minimum 20% representation in regional assemblies.
However, just a day after the ruling, the parliament, dominated by supporters of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto, tabled an emergency motion to overturn the decision. The move sparked widespread protests, with demonstrators trying to tear down the gates outside parliament and calling for calm.
The protests were not limited to the capital, with demonstrations also reported in Padang, Bandung, and Yogyakarta. Observers warn that the power struggle between the parliament and the constitutional court could lead to a political crisis in Indonesia.
A vote on the legislation to reverse the court’s ruling was postponed on Thursday due to a lack of MPs. If passed, the legislation would maintain the current system, favoring the ruling coalition and making many local elections uncontested. It would also prevent major government critic Anies Baswedan from running for Jakarta governor.
The legislation aims to circumvent the court’s decision to uphold a minimum age limit of 30 for candidates, which would block President Widodo’s 29-year-old son, Kaesang Pangarep, from running in a regional contest in Central Java.
President Widodo downplayed the dispute, calling the amendments part of the “checks and balances” of government. However, many protesters are dissatisfied with the changes.
One protester, Joko Anwar, said, “Eventually, we’ll just become a powerless mass of objects, even though we’re the ones who gave them power. We have to take to the streets. We have no choice.”
