Indonesian police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse thousands of protesters who tried to storm parliament on Thursday after destroying part of the fence and throwing stones at officers.
The unrest forced the legislature to postpone a vote on controversial changes to election laws that could further increase outgoing President Joko Widodo’s political clout.
Parliament met in an emergency session to overturn one Constitutional Court ruling on election procedures and amend another. Protesters occupied the roads in front of the parliament building. Some held banners and signs, while others built a bonfire and burned tyres.
On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court rejected a challenge to an age limit preventing those under 30 from running for regional governor, preventing Widodo’s youngest son, 29-year-old Kaesang Pangarep, from running in a regional contest in Central Java.
The court also made it easier for political parties to nominate candidates by lowering the requirement that they must have 20 per cent of seats in the local legislature.
On Wednesday, parliament passed an emergency motion to change the minimum age to become governor to 30 at the time of inauguration and further ease the nomination requirements, and planned to ratify the vote at a plenary session on Thursday.
New laws had to be postponed
The actions sparked widespread condemnation on social media and fears of a possible constitutional crisis. The legislature was forced to postpone the law after failing to reach a quorum.
Widodo’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, became the new vice president after the same court made an exception to the age limit for the post for former regional leaders. The decision came at a time when Widodo’s son-in-law, Anwar Usman, was serving as president of the court. Usman was criticised for his involvement in a case involving a close relative and was subsequently sacked.
Activists, students, workers, Indonesian celebrities and musicians joined Thursday’s protest, expressing concern about the state of democracy in Indonesia. Protests were also reported in other major cities including Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya and Makassar.
