Protests across Indonesia as parliament delays change to election law

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in multiple cities across Indonesia to protest against attempted revisions to the country’s election law.

Indonesia’s parliament postponed ratifying changes to the election rules on Thursday as protesters attempted to tear down the gates of the legislature in the capital, Jakarta, following an outcry over the legislation seen to strengthen the political influence of outgoing President Joko Widodo.

The plenary session to pass the changes was delayed due to a lack of a quorum, legislator Habiburokhman told reporters outside the parliament building.

It is unclear if parliament will reconvene to pass the law before the registration for regional elections opens next Tuesday.

The parliament planned to ratify changes that would have reversed a ruling by the constitutional court earlier this week. They would have blocked a vocal government critic in the race for the influential post of Jakarta governor and also paved the way for Widodo’s youngest son to run in elections in Java in November.

The power struggle between the parliament and the judiciary comes amid a week of dramatic political developments in the world’s third-largest democracy and in the final stretch of the president’s second term.

Widodo downplayed the concerns, saying on Wednesday the court ruling and parliamentary deliberations were part of standard “checks and balances”.

More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered on Thursday outside the parliament building and across multiple cities in Java, some holding banners accusing the president, known as Jokowi, of destroying democracy. Authorities fired tear gas at demonstrators in Semarang, according to footage from Kompas TV.

“This is the peak of my disdain,” said Afif Sidik, a 29-year-old teacher who joined the protest outside parliament.

“This is a republic. It’s a democracy, but if its leadership is decided by one person or an oligarch, we can’t accept that.”

Legal experts and political analysts have described the power struggle as bordering on a constitutional crisis.

Analyst Titi Anggraini characterised the manoeuvre as “constitutional insubordination”.

The street protests follow a wave of criticism online, with blue posters featuring the words “Emergency Warning” above Indonesia’s national bird, the Javan hawk-eagle proliferating on social media.