The top presidential aide has warned the group, which was formed the day after Independence Day 2020 to uphold the nation’s founding principles, of potential consequences if it did anything to disrupt national stability.

The announcement of Amien’s Ummah Party marks a continuing trend of infighting among political parties that has led to the formation of new ones, further crowding the political landscape.

The Supreme Court has once again come under fire for undermining the antigraft movement, this time for reducing the graft sentence of former Democratic Party chairman Anas Urbaningrum in a recent case review, setting another precedent for other graft convicts to methodically seek reduced sentences.

Former National Mandate Party (PAN) patron Amien Rais, a staunch critic of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration, declared his newly established party called Partai Ummat, or the Ummah Party, on Thursday following his departure amid an internal rift within PAN.

The House of Representatives and the government agreed to drop provisions on education from the omnibus bill on job creation on Thursday.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has completely banned candidates running in the December regional elections from holding rallies or other crowd-pulling events, such as concerts, bazaars and art performances, as the campaign season draws near.

Experts assessing Indonesia's democratic jouney have bemoaned an "elite-led assault on democratic institution" over the past few years.

Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, who is leading the government's efforts to curb infection rates in nine provinces hardest-hit by COVID-19, said that the National Police, with the help of the Indonesian Military (TNI), could take measures to break up political campaigning and arrest participants who failed to maintain social distancing.

Azyumardi Azra said the decision to be a golput -- an Indonesian term meaning abstention -- was taken as a form of "humanitarian solidarity" with thousands of people who had died of COVID-19.

The National COVID-19 task force has urged the election organizers to prohibit direct campaign rallies in the upcoming simultaneous regional elections and turn to online or broadcasted campaigns instead to curb the coronavirus transmission during the elections slated to take place on Dec. 9.

Entrepreneur and former Jakarta deputy governor Sandiaga Uno has joined the campaign team for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s son-in-law Bobby Afif Nasution and running mate Aulia Rachman ahead of the mayoral race in Medan, North Sumatra later this year.

Home Minister Tito Karnavian argued that making a specific government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on the matter would take quite a long time, which was not ideal in these pressing times. He also said the KPU should increase the number of voting booths and polling stations for December's regional elections.

The State Palace has maintained that Indonesia will hold the 2020 regional elections on Dec. 9, amid mounting calls from various parties for the race to be postponed as the coronavirus pandemic shows no signs of letting up.

The government is facing mounting pressure to postpone the regional elections this December amid concerns about greater COVID-19 transmission across the country, as officials prepare even stricter curbs.

The government is set to draft a regulation to restrict mass gatherings during the upcoming regional elections in an effort to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

The KPU commissioner has called for “heavy punishments”.

In addition to concerts, art performances, harvest festivals, walk and bike events, competitions, bazaars, blood donation drives and commemoration of parties’ anniversaries are among the activities permitted during campaigns.

Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto has appointed his niece Rahayu “Sara” Saraswati as one of the party’s deputy chairs for the 2020-2025 term.

The antigraft body has urged the country to take extra measures to prevent graft during the regional elections in December.

Civil servants who insisted on preserving their neutral stance would be seen as committing insubordination, which could endanger their position.

Recent cases of cyberattacks include the hacking of University of Indonesia (UI) epidemiologist Pandu Riono, who was known for his criticism of the government’s handling of COVID-19, as well as attacks on news websites tempo.co and tirto.id.

Democracy and public health are under threat as the 2020 simultaneous regional elections in 270 regions across Indonesia may emerge as new sources of COVID-19 infections in the country, experts and lawmaker have warned.

Home Minister Tito Karnavian has denied that any COVID-19 transmission clusters have emerged from the ongoing preparations for December’s simultaneous regional elections, adding that organizers are enforcing additional protocols to ensure the polls will be safe.

Communications and Information Minister Johnny G. Plate said the government and the lawmakers had agreed on 66 inputs in the so-called problem inventory list (DIM) during the recent meeting. The House aims to complete the bill by November. 

The road to the top administrator’s seat in Kediri, East Java, looks to be clear for Hanindhito Himawan Pramana, the son of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung.

According to the draft bill, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post, the revision includes a provision that requires the funds allocated for disaster management to amount to 2 percent of the annual state budget.

In a normal setting, the speech from senior PDI-P politician Puan Maharani could be considered tame, if not normative. "We hope that West Sumatra can indeed be a province that will support a Pancasila state," Puan said in his closing remark in a virtual meeting to announce the ticket of Mulyadi and Ali Mukhni to run in this year's gubernatorial election.

Voter turnout in the upcoming regional elections may decrease 20 to 60 percent amid coronavirus concerns, the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) said.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has restricted candidates from taking a large number of supporters during registration to prevent COVID-19 transmission among the crowd.

Lawmakers will push for the House of Representatives to endorse the indigenous peoples bill during the next plenary meeting in order to speed up the bill’s deliberation.