Jakarta. The Constitutional Court delivered a crucial ruling on Monday, determining that an Indonesian citizen under the age of 40 can qualify as a presidential or vice-presidential candidate if they have served or are serving in an elected public position.

This ruling was in response to a motion filed by a Sebelas Maret University student who sought to challenge the 2017 general election law, which previously limited the age of presidential and vice-presidential candidates to 40 years or older. The student argued that this restriction infringed on the constitutional rights of "inspirational young leaders" like Solo's mayor, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is currently 36 years old.

Gibran, who is the eldest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, has been widely speculated as a potential running mate for presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto.

While the Constitutional Court rejected a separate motion to lower the age limit from 40 to 35, it did make an exception for elected officials.

The amended version of the relevant article now states that a presidential or vice-presidential candidate "must be at least 40 years old or has served or is serving a public position through general elections, including regional government leader elections."

The hearing was streamed online and broadcast live by several news networks.

Chief Justice Anwar Usman noted that this ruling, which was tightly decided 5 to 4 among justices, will come into effect for the 2024 presidential election. The ruling was issued just three days before the General Election Commission (KPU) began to receive registration of presidential candidates and their running mates.

This ruling may spark anger among executives of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which both Jokowi and Gibran are members.

The PDI-P has already nominated former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo for president, and they have repeatedly emphasized the president's full support for their candidate.

Supporting a rival candidate could result in the expulsion of both Jokowi and his son from the party, potentially causing endless political divisions among the elites of Indonesia's political establishment.

On the other hand, Prabowo enjoys the support of at least five political parties, including his Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra), the Golkar Party, the National Mandate Party (PAN), the Crescent Star Party (PBB), and the Gelora Party.

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