Reconfiguring Presidential Age Requirements in Indonesia: Constitutional Tensions and Political Implications of Constitutional Court Decision No. 90/PUU-XXI/2023
Keywords:
Presidential Age Limits, Constitutional Law, Constitutional Court, Democracy, Legal CertaintyAbstract
The reformulation of presidential and vice-presidential age requirements in Indonesia following Constitutional Court Decision No. 90/PUU-XXI/2023 has generated a significant shift in both constitutional law and democratic practice. The decision not only reinterprets the minimum age provision but also introduces an alternative eligibility criterion based on prior executive experience, thereby transforming what was originally a legislative open legal policy into a product of judicial construction. This study aims to analyze the reconfiguration of presidential age requirements and examine its constitutional and political implications. The research employs a normative legal method, utilizing statutory, conceptual, and comparative approaches. The findings reveal that judicial intervention in determining candidacy requirements has expanded the role of the Constitutional Court from a negative legislator into an active norm-shaping institution. This development generates constitutional tensions, particularly concerning legal certainty, the principle of separation of powers, and democratic legitimacy. Furthermore, the reform carries significant political implications, influencing elite competition, patterns of political representation, and public trust in democratic institutions. This study argues that the judicial reconstruction of age requirements risks blurring institutional boundaries and enabling the politicization of constitutional interpretation. Therefore, reforms concerning fundamental aspects of electoral regulation should be conducted through transparent and participatory legislative processes to maintain a balance between the rule of law and democratic legitimacy.
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