Jakarta. The House of Representatives' Legislative Body (Baleg) has agreed to set the minimum age for gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial candidates at 30 years, based on a Supreme Court ruling.

This decision potentially reopens the door for Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) Chairman Kaesang Pangarep to participate in the 2024 regional elections. Kaesang's eligibility was initially in doubt due to a Constitutional Court ruling that set the minimum age for gubernatorial and vice-gubernatorial candidates at 30 years at the time of registration.

Kaesang, the son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, was born on December 25, 1994. He will meet the age requirement by the time elected governors are sworn in on Jan. 1, 2025. However, under the previous regulation, he would not have been eligible to contest since the General Elections Commission (KPU) was scheduled to announce eligible candidates on Sept. 22, 2024, when he would still be 29 years old.

The Baleg's decision was reached after the majority of factions, except the PDI-P faction, approved it during a working committee meeting on the Regional Elections Bill at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday.

Before the agreement was finalized, the PDI-P faction expressed concerns, arguing that not all factions had reached a consensus. However, Baleg Deputy Chairman Achmad Baidowi said that the majority of factions had agreed to refer to the Supreme Court's ruling on the age requirement.

PDI-P Legislative Body member Putra Nababan protested the decision, questioning the basis for the agreement. "What exactly are we agreeing to, Chairman?" Putra asked.

The Coalition for Advanced Indonesia (KIM) Plus is set to support Ahmad Luthfi and his running mate, Kaesang Pangarep, in the 2024 Central Java gubernatorial election.

Although Kaesang had initially planned to accompany his pregnant wife, Erina Gudono, to the U.S. for her master's program at the University of Pennsylvania, he recently clarified his stance on August 15. "Who said I was out?" Kaesang responded when asked by reporters about his participation in the 2024 regional elections.

Add as a preferred source on Google +