Indonesian police clashed with tens of thousands of protesters who gathered outside the parliament on Thursday.
The protests erupted in response to the government’s attempt to reverse a recent ruling by the constitutional court.
The court had ruled that political parties no longer needed a minimum of 20% representation in regional assemblies to field candidates.
However, just one day later, the parliament, which is dominated by supporters of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his successor Prabowo Subianto, tabled an emergency motion to overturn this decision.
According to BBC, The scene outside parliament was chaotic, with some protesters trying to tear down the gates while others called for calm. Police also faced demonstrations in other cities, including Padang, Bandung, and Yogyakarta.
Observers warn that this power struggle between the parliament and the constitutional court could lead to a political crisis in Indonesia.
On Thursday, a vote on the legislation to reverse the court’s ruling was postponed due to a lack of MPs. If passed, the legislation would keep the current system, favoring the ruling coalition and making many local elections uncontested. It would also prevent major government critic Anies Baswedan from running for Jakarta governor.
The legislation is also aimed at circumventing the court’s decision to uphold a minimum age limit of 30 for candidates. This would block President Widodo’s 29-year-old son, Kaesang Pangarep, from running in a regional contest in Central Java.
President Widodo downplayed the dispute, calling the amendments part of the “checks and balances” of government. However, many protesters are dissatisfied with the changes. One protester, Joko Anwar, said, “Eventually, we’ll just become a powerless mass of objects, even though we’re the ones who gave them power. We have to take to the streets. We have no choice.”
