Protesters rally again in Indonesia as tempers flare over political manoeuvres

FE Team | Published: August 23, 2024 22:09:17

University students shout slogans during a protest against a move to overturn a Constitutional Court ruling that changed eligibility rules for candidates in the general election later this year, in front of the People's Representative Council (DPR) in Banda Aceh on Friday. — AFP

JAKARTA, Aug 23 (Reuters): Thousands of people rallied in several cities in Indonesia on Friday, pressuring its poll body to issue rules for regional elections amid outrage over an attempt by parliamentary allies of President Joko Widodo to change them in their favour.
The protests followed a day of demonstrations in which 301 people were detained and tear gas and water cannon used to disperse angry crowds outside parliament, which on Thursday shelved its controversial plan to amend eligibility rules on candidates, citing absence of a quorum.
The protests were accompanied by fury on social media at the influential Jokowi, as the president is known, who stood to gain from proposed changes that would have allowed his son to seek office in Central Java, and blocked an influential government critic from running for the high-profile post of Jakarta governor.
The demonstrations capped a dramatic week in politics in which anger has mounted over what Jokowi's critics say is an attempt to further consolidate his power as he prepares to make way for successor Prabowo Subianto in October.
Jokowi's popularity and outsized influence after a decade in charge was instrumental in Prabowo winning February's election by a big margin, in what was widely seen as a quid-pro-quo to ensure the outgoing leader retains a political stake long after he leaves office.