Indonesia’s constitutional court upheld on Monday a rule that presidential and vice-presidential candidates must be at least 40 years old. But it then carved out an exemption for younger candidates with experience in office.
Where’s the intrigue?
- President Widodo’s son (36) is rumoured to be eyeing a run for VP
- A party now chaired by his other son co-filed the case, and
- Widodo’s brother-in-law heads up the court that made the decision.
And this all fuels speculation that he’s seeking to establish a political dynasty.
Intrigue’s take: Widodo, who remains popular but is term-limited, continues to shrug off the speculation while declining (🇮🇩) to discuss the court case.
And he himself signed (🇮🇩) the electoral age limit into law back in 2017.
But we won’t have to wait long to see how this all pans out: nominations for February’s general elections open tomorrow (Thursday).
Also worth noting:
- In explaining its exemption, the court referred to examples of leaders in France and New Zealand being elected while in their 30s.
