Treason Warning: Court in Jakarta Decided to Postpone 2024 Elections

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The court in Central Jakarta recently gave a controversial decision to postpone the general elections. The decision was taken after the new Prima Party sued the General Elections Commission (KPU) when the former did not pass the process for the 2024 election.

Next year, Indonesians will have to choose presidents, members of parliament, and regional leaders. With the new decision, the election must be postponed for at least two years.

The latest decision is inevitably inciting political uncertainty, not to mention last year there was a discourse of increasing Presiden Joko Widodo's term, although the president rejected the notion.

A senior expert at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Lili Romli, criticized the legal action taken by the Prima Party for violating the constitution.

"If the general election is not performed regularly for every five years, therefore it is violating the constitution. The violation of the constitution is part of treason," said Romli as quoted by the state news agency Antara on Tuesday (7/3/2023).

President Joko Widodo has encouraged the General Elections Commission to appeal the decision. 

"Indeed it is a controversy that creates pros and cons, but the government also supports KPU to appeal," said President Widodo on Monday. He added that the government has prepared to make sure the elections are going smoothly next year.

The commissioner of KPU, Mochammad Afifuddin, also confirmed that his institution will appeal this week.