Jakarta. The Constitutional Court’s decision in August to lower the vote threshold for political parties to nominate gubernatorial candidates was intended to promote broader participation, enhancing the democratic process. The threshold was reduced from 25 percent of the vote to a range of 6.5 to 10 percent, depending on the province's population size.

However, in Jakarta's case, the new ruling led to unexpected consequences, casting doubt on whether it truly broadened participation.

Despite his strong polling lead, former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan found himself without the backing of party leaders, even as his popularity soared among voters.

“Electability is no longer the primary factor for party leaders when choosing candidates; they now have complete authority to make decisions on their own,” said Yohan Wahyu, the lead researcher at the Kompas Research and Development Center.

What Happened in Jakarta?
Before the court’s ruling, no single party in Jakarta’s legislature had enough votes to meet the 25 percent threshold necessary to nominate a gubernatorial candidate. Parties were required to form coalitions to put forth a nominee.

A coalition of four parties, which had successfully backed Prabowo Subianto’s presidential bid for the February election, extended their partnership to Jakarta by nominating former West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil. The coalition later expanded to include two other major parties, along with at least five smaller ones.

The Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) initially planned to back Anies but failed to gather enough allies to meet the required threshold, eventually joining the Ridwan Kamil coalition.

This left the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) as the last major party without a candidate, as it also lacked the numbers to contest the election alone under the previous threshold rules.

Then, on August 20, the political landscape shifted dramatically. The Constitutional Court ordered the reduction of the vote threshold, bringing Jakarta’s threshold down to 7.5 percent due to its population of around 10 million.

Suddenly, all eight major parties became eligible to nominate candidates, but seven of them were already committed to backing Ridwan. Anies placed his hopes on the PDI-P, but within 48 hours of the registration deadline, PDI-P Chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri granted the gubernatorial ticket to party executive Pramono Anung.

In 2017, Anies had won the run-off election against PDI-P’s candidate and incumbent governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, or Ahok, in a race marred by sectarian tensions. Ahok’s subsequent imprisonment following a blasphemy trial, which was largely fueled by Anies' supporters, likely influenced PDI-P’s decision not to back Anies in Jakarta this time around.

Had the ruling been issued a week earlier, Anies would have secured the nomination from PKS.

A Chaotic Night in West Java
After losing both the presidential election and significant representation in the House of Representatives, PDI-P needed a high-profile candidate like Anies Baswedan to regain political ground.

On the final day of candidate registration, executives from PDI-P’s West Java branch announced that Anies had been selected as their gubernatorial candidate in a province with over 50 million residents.

However, just two hours before the midnight deadline, Anies rejected the nomination. In a statement through his spokesman, Anies cited that public demand for his leadership was not as strong in West Java as it was in Jakarta, and thus, he declined to run.

This last-minute decision forced PDI-P to scramble for a replacement within the narrow two-hour window. The party hastily nominated former Pangandaran Regent Jeje Wiradinata, a relatively unknown figure on the national stage. Both Jeje and his running mate, Ronal Surapradja, registered their candidacies via video conference, as the time constraint made it impossible for them to physically reach the General Election Commission's office in Bandung.

Meanwhile, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), and the National Awakening Party (PKB) capitalized on the Constitutional Court’s ruling by fielding their own candidates in the final hours before the deadline.

Four other major parties had already backed former Purwakarta Regent Dedi Mulyadi as their gubernatorial nominee before the court’s ruling came into play.

PKS Chairman Ahmad Syaikhu was nominated as the party’s candidate, with Nasdem selecting Ilham Habibie, son of the late President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, as his running mate. PKB, on the other hand, nominated its own executives, Acep Adang Ruhiyat and Gitalis Dwi Natarina, as their gubernatorial ticket.

East Java
Before the threshold was lowered, former East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa was set for an uncontested reelection with the backing of six major parties.

However, PKB and PDI-P struggled to finalize their candidates as the deadline loomed closer.

The court’s ruling further complicated matters, as it dissolved the potential coalition between PDI-P and PKB. PDI-P ultimately nominated Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini, while PKB selected Luluk Nur Hamidah, resulting in an all-women gubernatorial race in East Java.

While the court’s ruling prevented the scenario of a single candidate running against a blank vote by making it easier for parties to field their own contenders, it also placed significant power in the hands of party leaders, allowing them to select candidates based on their own preferences rather than those of the voters.

“The will of the people has been undermined by political elites,” said Saidiman Ahmad of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC).

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