Anies: Indonesia Has a Tendency Towards Political Dynasties
Former presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has stated that Indonesia’s democracy system frequently produces political dynasties within certain families. According to him, such practices have been observed in recent years.
“Indonesia has a tendency towards dynasties emerging, family power emerging. That tendency exists,” said Anies when encountered in the South Jakarta area on Friday, 27 February 2026.
Anies believes that the implementation of democracy should instead ensure equal opportunity for everyone. According to him, such equality of opportunity can be achieved through a Constitutional Court decision.
The former Jakarta Governor referenced the Constitutional Court’s 2015 decision regarding restrictions on regional head candidates who have blood relations or marriage ties with incumbent regional heads or political dynasties. In that decision, the Court ruled to eliminate the restriction on political dynasties. “Since then until now we have witnessed the emergence of all kinds of dynastic politics,” he said.
Anies stated that the public can now assess the urgency of correcting regulations governing restrictions on political dynasties. He said such corrective measures were important.
“So that in Indonesia local and central governments work for the people, not just for family groups and certain groups,” said the Honorary Member of the People’s Movement.
The Constitutional Court Requested to Prohibit Presidential Family from Running for President
Two advocates named Raden Nuh and Dian Amalia have filed a constitutional review of the Election Law with the Constitutional Court. They are requesting the Court to prohibit blood or in-law relatives of the sitting president and vice president from running in the presidential election, either as presidential or vice-presidential candidates.
The lawsuit was registered with case number 81/PUU-XXXIV/2026 on Tuesday, 24 February 2026. The regulation being challenged is Article 169 of Law Number 7 of 2017 on General Elections. This article contains requirements for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, such as being Indonesian citizens, never betraying the state, never being convicted, and so forth.
Referring to the petition documents accessed from the Constitutional Court’s official website, the petitioners believe that the requirements in Article 169 of the Election Law allow sitting presidents to nominate their children, siblings, family members, and close relatives as presidential or vice-presidential candidates in presidential elections during their term.
“If this happens, it is the same as negating the principle of legal objectivity, which will certainly create conditions where law is used as an instrument to perpetuate family power,” said the petitioner in their arguments in the petition documents.
Furthermore, according to the petitioner, Article 169 of the Election Law also contradicts Article 28 D Paragraph (3) of the 1945 Constitution, as it could produce systematic inequality among presidential election candidates. The petitioner notes that candidates who are relatives of the sitting president or vice president automatically have access to state resources.
In their arguments, the petitioner also believes that the non-inclusion of a prohibition on presidential family members running for office in Article 169 of the Election Law violates the principle of a rule-of-law state that must limit power and prevent conflicts of interest.
According to the petitioner, in the realm of public law, conflicts of interest do not need to occur factually to be considered dangerous. “The mere existence of potential or appearance of conflict of interest is sufficient to damage legal legitimacy,” they said.
On this basis, in their petition, the petitioners request that the Constitutional Court judges declare Article 169 of the Election Law unconstitutional and without binding legal force, insofar as it is not interpreted to mean “That the requirements for nominating a president and/or vice president must be free from conflicts of interest arising from blood or in-law relationships with the sitting President and/or Vice President.”