KONTAN.CO.ID - JAKARTA. The Constitutional Court's (MK) Decision No. 60/PUU-XXII/2024 could potentially reshape the political landscape in the 2024 Regional Head Elections (Pilkada).
With the MK's ruling in case No. 60/PUU-XXII/2024, the requirements for political parties to nominate regional head candidates have changed. Previously based on the number of seats in the Regional Representative Council (DPRD), it now depends on the number of votes obtained in the last legislative election. This means that even political parties without DPRD seats can now nominate regional head candidates, as long as they meet the minimum vote requirement.
A political observer from the National University (UNAS), Selamat Ginting, stated that some parties could nominate independently, and existing coalitions could potentially dissolve.
"With the surprising decision of the MK, the political dynamics in this year's election will drastically change," he was quoted as saying by KONTAN on Wednesday (21/8/2024).
According to Ginting, some parties like PDIP could nominate candidates in the 2024 Pilkada without having to partner with other parties because the nomination threshold has changed.
The same goes for various other parties that could reconsider nominating their own cadres. He even believes that there is a possibility that the Forward Indonesia Coalition (KIM) Plus could dissolve.
"PDIP could potentially support Anies Baswedan in the Jakarta Pilkada due to his unmatched and high electability," he mentioned.
Read Also: Government & DPR Annul MK Decision on Pilkada, Workers and Students Start to Move The bull-logoed party could pair Anies with its cadres, such as Prasetyo Edi Marsudi, Rano Karno, and Hendar Prihadi.
"It's up to PDIP to consider which of its three cadres is most suitable to accompany Anies Baswedan. But PDIP could also nominate its own cadre like Ahok, that's also a possibility," Ginting explained.
Regarding the chance of KIM Plus dissolving, Ginting explained that it could primarily happen because the Gelora Party, which is part of KIM Plus, has opened the door for Anies to run in the Jakarta Pilkada, so the Gelora Party could potentially leave and nominate Anies in the Jakarta Pilkada.
The same could happen to the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) that joined KIM Plus in the Jakarta Pilkada. Both have the potential to leave because they want to nominate Anies. "Anything can happen before the candidate registration occurs, the declaration could be canceled," he elaborated.
Read Also: Regarding the Pilkada Law Decision, Gerindra: A Breath of Fresh Air for Democracy in DPR Ginting also predicted that the MK's decision could potentially change the political map in the Banten Pilkada because Airin Rachmi Diany has the chance to be paired with another party to run in the Banten Governor Election (Pilgub) as she is not supported by the Golkar Party.
Airin, one of Golkar's cadres who received one of the top three votes in the last Legislative Election, could also be offered a ministerial position, considering the reason Golkar did not support her in the election was due to other tasks that would be assigned.
"This is very dynamic. Shortly, there will be surprises about who will be nominated and our democracy will become more vibrant," Ginting concluded.
Editor: Syamsul Azhar