Jakarta, indonesia — Thousands of people rallied in several cities in Indonesia on Friday, pressuring its election commission to issue rules for regional voting amid outrage over an attempt by parliamentary allies of President Joko Widodo to change them in their favor.
The protests followed a day of demonstrations in which 301 people were detained and tear gas and water cannons used to disperse angry crowds outside parliament, which on Thursday shelved its controversial plan to amend eligibility rules on candidates, citing the absence of a quorum.
The protests were accompanied by fury on social media at the influential Jokowi, as the president is known, who stood to gain from proposed changes that would have allowed his son to seek office in Central Java and blocked an influential government critic from running for the high-profile post of Jakarta governor.
When asked about the protests, Jokowi said Friday that it was good for people to express their aspirations.
He said Wednesday that he respected Indonesia’s democratic institutions, when asked about the attempt by parliament to change the election rules.
The demonstrations capped a dramatic week in politics in which anger has mounted over what Jokowi’s critics say is an attempt to further consolidate his power as he prepares to make way for successor Prabowo Subianto in October.
Jokowi’s popularity and outsized influence after a decade in charge was instrumental in Prabowo winning February’s election by a big margin, in what was widely seen as a quid pro quo to ensure the outgoing leader retains a political stake long after he leaves office.
‘This is nepotism’
Student protester Diva Rabiah, 23, was among hundreds of people who gathered outside the election commission in Jakarta urging it to issue clear rules on candidates, concerned that regulations could be changed before registration opens next week.
“This bothers me because they eased the way for the president’s son to run in the regional elections. This is nepotism,” she said of the earlier plan by lawmakers.
Demonstrations were also held Friday in the cities of Medan, Makassar and in Surabaya, where students threw rocks and bottles at police, calling for the election commisison to issue the rules.
It is unclear what role Jokowi will play when he leaves office, but he is expected to wield influence through the Golkar Party, the largest member of Prabowo’s parliamentary alliance, which Wednesday appointed the president’s right-hand man, Bahlil Lahadalia, as its leader.
The push by lawmakers to change the election rules would have effectively been a reversal of a Constitutional Court decision Tuesday, which upheld the minimum age of 30 for candidates and made it easier for parties to make nominations.
That ruling opened the door for Prabowo’s presidential election rival, Anies Baswedan, to be nominated for Jakarta governor, a post he held from 2017 to 2022, but meant Jokowi’s son Kaesang Pangarep, 29, could not run in regional polls.
The election commission will issue rules in line with Tuesday’s court ruling, but after a consultation with parliament next week, its acting chief, Mochammad Afifuddin, said in a news conference.
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