Flawed candidacy, untouchable office

Indonesia narrowly avoided a constitutional crisis on Tuesday, largely due to the Constitutional Court's decision not to intervene. The Court dismissed a petition that aimed to disqualify Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka for not submitting his high school diploma during his registration with the General Elections Commission (KPU) as Prabowo Subianto's running mate.

The Court acknowledged the substance of the complaint but dismissed it because the petitioners, mainly law experts, activists, and former military officers, did not participate in the 2024 election, thus lacking standing.

While the paperwork was found to be deficient, the vice president's candidacy proceeded as planned. Prabowo Subianto secured the election, took the oath of office, and the matter was closed. Despite the defect in the candidacy, the Court's decision was defensible. Annulment or declaring the vice presidency void would have led to a constitutional crisis with no clear resolution.

The Constitution does not provide a straightforward method to remove a sitting vice president from election two years later; removal necessitates action through the legislature and the People's Consultative Assembly, not through a citizens' petition.

The Court opted for stability, which is commendable. This decision maintained the country's stability, avoiding months of turmoil, a split governing coalition, and jittery markets that would have ensued from such a crisis. The Constitutional Court's choice to uphold the status quo, despite the administrative flaw in the candidacy, has effectively maintained Indonesia's political continuity.