Following Constitutional Court’s Decision, President Jokowi: I am not Interfering

President Jokowi gives a press statement at the China World Hotel, Beijing on the sidelines of his working visit to People’s Republic of China, Monday (10/16) evening. (Photo: Presidential Secretariat’s Information, Media, and Press Bureau/Muchlis Jr)

On the sidelines of his working visit to the People’s Republic of China, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Monday (10/16) emphasized that he is not involved in the determination process of either presidential candidates or vice presidential candidates.

“I emphasize that I am not interfering in the determination process of the presidential or vice presidential candidates,” stressed the President in his statement at the China World Hotel, Beijing.

The statement came in response to questions regarding the discourse on his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who was proposed as a vice presidential candidate in the 2024 general elections. The President said that the presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs were within the realm of political parties.

“The presidential and vice presidential candidates are determined by political parties or coalitions of political parties, so please just ask the political parties, because it is within their domain,” he added.

Previously, the Constitutional Court ruled on Monday (10/16) that the registration requirements for presidential and vice presidential candidates are the ones who must be at least 40 years old or already have experience as regional heads.

Responding to the decision, President Jokowi said that the decision was within the authority of the judiciary and he invited the public to ask firsthand the Constitutional Court.

“Regarding the Constitutional Court’s decision, please ask the Constitutional Court, don’t push me to comment,” he said.

“Please also let legal experts analyze it. I don’t want to give any opinion on the Constitutional Court’s decision, because it could be misunderstood as if I were interfering with judicial authority,” he continued. (Presidential Secretariat’s Information, Media, and Press Bureau/AIT) (TM/MUR)