An intriguing court decision in Indonesia


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.
Latest Author Articles
Another coup in Thailand?

You’re chatting away on the phone after a crappy few weeks at work: yep, Jenny from accounts is at it again, and don’t even get us started on Barry from marketing. So you vent, throw a little shade, maybe sprinkle in some spice — it’s a private call. You do you, right? Wrong.  Thailand’s prime […]

2 July, 2025
Why the world is having fewer babies

Why are a bunch of ex-diplomats talking about babies and birth rates? Sure, it’s like a mango sorbet palate-cleanser amid all the war and rumours of war. But natality is also one of those slow-moving forces that can completely transform our world. How? Last century, the dominant narrative was that populations were too big, with leaders in China, Vietnam […]

11 June, 2025
Xi and Trump talk for the first time

Sometimes, the shortest press releases generate the most headlines.   Take Thursday’s press release from China’s state broadcaster: “Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday held phone talks with U.S. President Donald Trump at the latter’s request.”  As you’d expect, given the feverish geopolitical climate of today, those 18 words were enough to trigger a visceral reaction in any US-China […]

6 June, 2025
Meet South Korea’s new president

It’s been a tumultuous six months for South Korea. One failed martial law declaration, one impeachment, and three acting presidents later, and South Koreans finally have a permanent president again. Opposition candidate Lee Jae-myung from the left-leaning Democratic Party of Korea won yesterday’s election with 49% of the vote, defeating Kim Moon-soo from the ruling People […]

4 June, 2025