Jakarta. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has dismissed rumors suggesting that the government might issue a Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) regarding regional elections.

The speculation followed nationwide protests to the House of Representatives' (DPR) handling of Law No. 10/2016 on Regional Elections. Speaking at the 6th National Mandate Party (PAN) Congress at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski in Jakarta on Friday, Jokowi labeled these rumors as baseless.

“There’s no such plan; it’s simply not on our agenda,” Jokowi told reporters.

Regarding the DPR’s decision to pause discussions on the Regional Election Bill, Jokowi stated that such legislative matters are within the DPR's jurisdiction.

“That’s a legislative issue, and it falls under the DPR’s authority,” he said.

Deputy Speaker of the DPR, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, had earlier confirmed that the DPR would not convene a plenary session to approve the bill. Dasco noted that the upcoming registration period for regional candidates makes it impractical to schedule a session simultaneously.

“There will be no plenary session. With candidate registrations starting on Tuesday, it would be chaotic to hold the plenary session at the same time,” Dasco explained.

Jokowi was at the 6th PAN Congress opening at Hotel Kempinski in Central Jakarta on Friday evening. The event also saw the presence of Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s eldest son.

Jokowi arrived at around 7:00 p.m. in a blue shirt, in line with PAN’s party colors. He was welcomed by PAN Chairman Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) and received enthusiastic cheers of “Jokowi President” from PAN supporters.

Gibran attended in blue batik, joined by notable figures including Golkar Chairman Bahlil Lahadalia, Nasdem Chairman Surya Paloh, Democratic Party Chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), Gerindra Daily Chairman Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, PKB Vice Chairman Jazilul Fawaid, PSI Advisory Board member Isyana Bagoes Oka, and gubernatorial candidates Bobby Nasution for North Sumatra and Khofifah Indar Parawansa for East Java.

On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court ruled to lower the electoral threshold, enabling more candidates to enter the 2024 regional elections. However, the DPR, with the exception of the PDI-P, decided that this change would apply only to non-parliamentary parties, limiting candidate options for the November election.

The DPR’s decision to impose a minimum age of 30 for regional election candidates has faced criticism, as it may facilitate the candidacy of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s son, Kaesang Pangarep. Critics argue that this move is part of a broader strategy to consolidate the Jokowi family's influence, citing the recent election of Gibran as vice president.

On Friday, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) officially nominated former high-ranking police officer Ahmad Luthfi for the Central Java governorship on Friday, with Taj Yasin Maimoen as his running mate, putting to rest speculations that Kaesang would be running in the provincial election.

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