Indonesian court ruling casts shadow regarding the upcoming election

Days before candidates officially register for Indonesia’s elections, a game-changing ruling by the nation’s constitutional court has sparked concern over the integrity of the vote in the world’s third-largest democracy.
The court removed the 40 years minimum age requirement for presidential or vice-presidential candidates if they had previously been elected to regional posts, potentially opening the way for President Joko Widodo’s 36-year-old son to contest.
The ruling, issued by a court headed by the president’s brother-in-law, has raised fears of a resurgence of patronage politics in a country that only 25 years ago emerged from the authoritarian rule of strongman leader Suharto.
The court and the presidential palace did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Southeast Asian nation will hold simultaneous presidential and legislative election on Feb. 14 next year. Jokowi, as the president is known, is ineligible to run after serving the maximum two terms.