Vote threshold for presidential candidates is not legally enforceable, according to an Indonesian court

The Constitutional Court of Indonesia ruled Thursday that a regulation that required political parties to nominate a presidential candidate with a minimum number of votes was unconstitutional, potentially opening the door for a larger field of contenders in 2029.

Currently, in order for a party to nominate a presidential candidate, it must receive 20% of the vote in a parliamentary election, either alone or in a coalition. A group of college students contested the bill, claiming it restricted the rights of voters and smaller parties.

The court’s decision did not state whether the criteria should be eliminated or lowered, but Chief Justice Suhartoyo allowed the petition, stating that the threshold “had no binding legal power.”

According to Judge Saldi Isra, a panelist on the Constitutional Court, all political parties ought to be permitted to nominate candidates.

Supratman Andi Agtas, the minister of law, told Reuters that the government would cooperate with the appropriate authorities, such as the nation’s parliamentarians and election officials, to implement the decision.

The recent decision was hailed by Arya Fernandes, a political analyst at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, who said it reduced the reliance of smaller parties on larger parties and permitted them to nominate a candidate.

However, he noted that since the court did not eliminate the vote threshold, lawmakers might adopt changes that would lessen the impact of the decision.

Every five years, Indonesia holds elections for its president. In October, President Prabowo Subianto assumed office after the most recent.

In a decision from August of last year, the Constitutional Court reduced the voting threshold for regional appointments, like mayor and governor, from 20% to less than 10%.

Pro-Prabo and pro-outgoing president Joko Widodo parties attempted to overturn the decision, which led thousands of people to participate in rallies in the streets against what they perceived as a government attempt to quell dissent.

The Constitutional Court said in a separate decision on Thursday that artificial intelligence may not be used to “overly manipulate” election candidates’ images because doing so “can compromise the voter’s ability to make an informed decision.”