Jakarta. Indonesia plans to finish building the judicial and legislative complexes in its future political capital Nusantara by early 2028, as the government dismisses worries over the project’s continuity.

Under former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Indonesia had been trying to construct a new capital known as Nusantara in East Kalimantan from scratch. His successor, Prabowo Subianto, plans to continue the work, although he has made Nusantara Indonesia's new political capital. Basuki Hadimuljono, who heads the authority overseeing the capital development, said that the government's commitment to the project remained unchanged.

“The construction of the legislative and judicial complex in Nusantara remains ongoing as instructed by the president. We aim to finish it between 2027 and 2028,” Basuki said over the weekend.

More specifically, the deadline that Indonesia has set is in late 2027 and early 2028.

Basuki went on to say that Indonesia would not scale back development despite the government's budgetary efficiency. Indonesia is implementing austerity measures as the impact of the Iran war bites, particularly on energy.

"The construction of the judicial and legislative complexes is not included in the efficiency measures. We are continuing the project,” he said.

The legislative area is set to have several main buildings: a plenary building, and a few others that will be dedicated for the House of Representatives, the Regional Representatives Council, and the People’s Consultative Assembly, respectively.  The plenary building will serve as an activity center with a capacity of up to 1,579 people and is currently awaiting a design approval from the president.

Indonesia is also constructing supporting infrastructure, including a 3.7-kilometer regional road for connectivity between the buildings.

The judicial area is divided into two work packages. The first package includes the construction of the Supreme Court building, along with supporting areas and a justice plaza. The second package includes the Constitutional Court building, the judicial area, and a mosque, supported by a road network spanning 8 kilometers. Basic infrastructure work, including the water system, remains in progress. 

Early estimates showed that Indonesia would need around $33 billion to build the city, although it wants investors to mainly bankroll the project. Earlier this year, the government said that Prabowo had made adjustments to Nusantara's design.