Factbox-A tumultuous week in Indonesian politics as transition nears
2024.08.22 04:46
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Thousands protested in cities across Indonesia on Thursday, capping a dramatic week in politics in the world’s third-largest democracy as President Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, enters the final weeks of his decade in office.
Following are the details of the significant political developments leading up to the protests:
– On Monday, Jokowi reshuffled his cabinet, appointing new cabinet ministers with close ties to his successor Prabowo, in a move aimed at smoothing the transition of power.
Also on Monday, a coalition of government-aligned parties rallied behind a single candidate for governor of the capital Jakarta, effectively killing off the chances of government critic, Anies Baswedan, from being re-elected to the influential post.
– On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court issued a ruling lowering the threshold for parties to nominate a candidate in the regional elections, which would clear the way for Anies to run.
The court also upheld the minimum age limit, which would block Jokowi’s youngest son from contesting regional elections in November.
– On Wednesday, the second-largest political party Golkar chose a key Jokowi loyalist as its new chair, following the shock resignation of the former head. That could help Jokowi remain politically influential after he leaves office.
Also on Wednesday, a parliamentary body agreed on changes to election rules that would annul the Constitutional Court’s decisions. The changes were to be brought to a plenary session on Thursday to be ratified, sparking a rare power struggle between the parliament and the judiciary.
Jokowi late on Wednesday said he respected the country’s institutions, amid a growing wave of online criticism and calls for protest.
– On Thursday, protests began in multiple cities against the plan to override the court and the government’s perceived attempt to undermine the country’s democracy.
On Thursday, parliamentarians said the planned ratification of the changes had been postponed due to a lack of a quorum. No new schedule has been set.
