Jakarta, IO – The Constitutional Court (MK) rejected the petition to amend Law 7/2017 on General Elections which stipulated the minimum age requirement for presidential and vice presidential candidates.
The petition was filed by the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) who asked the court to lower the age from 40 to 35, per CNNIndonesia, Monday (16/10).
“Rejecting the petitioners’ request in its entirety,” said Chief Justice Anwar Usman in the ruling, adding that it has no legal basis.
Earlier, a number of civil society organizations and figures — including Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD — decried the move, arguing that MK does not have the jurisdiction to change the law.
Read: MK Rejects Petition On Minimum Age Limit For Presidential And VP Candidates
According to Mahfud, the law can only be changed by the House and the government as the positive legislature because the case falls into an open legal policy while the role of MK is as negative legislature which cannot add new rules into a law. (un)