Indonesian Constitutional Court Chief Justice Loses Job After Ruling to Help President's Son Run for Election

Indonesia has asked the chief justice of its constitutional court to resign over a ruling that allowed the president's son to run for office.

Indonesian authorities set up a judicial ethics committee in early November to investigate the conduct of nine Constitutional Court judges. The move came after Constitutional Court Chief Justice Anwar Usman ruled that candidates under the age of 40 could run for office if they had previously been elected to public office.

The ruling cleared President Joko Widodo's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, to run as deputy to Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who is running for president. The ruling sparked outrage among Indonesians, as it came just three days before the deadline for registration.

Indonesia's Judicial Ethics Commission on November 7 found Usman guilty of violating standards and asked him to resign as chief justice. Usman remains one of the nine judges on the Constitutional Court, but must recuse himself from any future election-related cases if he has a conflict of interest.

"The judges have collectively violated the ethical standards of conduct for constitutional court judges," Jimly Asshiddiqie, head of the judicial ethics commission, announced the results of the investigation. The commission had previously reprimanded six judges.

Constitutional Court Chief Justice Anwar Usman during a court hearing on October 2. Photo: Antara

Mr Usman, 67, is President Widodo’s brother-in-law. He has previously denied any conflict of interest in the controversial ruling. The judge said on 3 November that he was ready to accept the decision from the judicial ethics committee.

Mr. Widodo, 62, has led Indonesia since 2014 and will not be able to run again due to term limits. More than 204 million Indonesians are expected to vote for a new leader on February 14 next year. The new president will be sworn in in October 2024.

Former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is also running for president of Indonesia next year. Mr. Baswedan is considered a potential candidate with the support of Islamic groups in Indonesia.

Nhu Tam (According to Reuters )

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