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Govt keeps term extension debate alive amid amendment scheme revelations
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A voter dips his finger in ink to mark a ballot during an election. (JP/Anggara Mahendra)
D
espite its pledge to hold the 2024 general election as scheduled, the government has kept the debate about a possible election delay and term extension alive, amid persistent efforts to amend the Constitution to keep President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in power beyond 2024.
Former deputy law and human rights minister Denny Indrayana said on Wednesday that a representative of a certain group had told Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD of its readiness to push for a special session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) to amend the Constitution and pave the way for an extension of Jokowi’s term.
Denny, who served in the administration of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the opposition Democratic Party, said at a livestreamed press briefing that he had heard the information from Mahfud during a visit to his private residence last week.
“There is indeed a politician, whose name and party I don't need to mention, who conveyed to Mahfud that he and his group were ready to hold a special MPR session to push for a term extension for the President, so that the 2024 election would no longer be needed,” Denny said.
“The scenario would be to hold a special MPR session while President Jokowi was on a state visit abroad.”
The push for an election delay intensified last year after leaders from three pro-government parties – the Golkar Party, National Awakening Party (PKB) and National Mandate Party (PAN) – publicly proposed that the 2024 elections be delayed, allegedly at the behest of President Jokowi’s inner circle.
The idea was welcomed by Jokowi’s supporter groups, who called for the Constitution to be amended to allow presidents to stay in office for three consecutive terms instead of two, paving the way for Jokowi to run again in 2024.
