PDIP Responds to Lawsuit Seeking Ban on Presidential and Vice-Presidential Family Members Running for Election

Deddy Sitorus, chair of PDIP’s central leadership board and member of the House of Representatives’ Commission II, has responded to a lawsuit requesting the Constitutional Court (MK) to prohibit family members of the sitting president or vice-president from standing as candidates for president or vice-president. Sitorus stated that whether the lawsuit violates human rights remains to be determined by the court’s ruling.

“Whether or not it violates human rights will be determined by the court’s consideration,” Sitorus told journalists on Wednesday (25 February 2026).

Nevertheless, Sitorus said he could personally understand the grounds for the lawsuit. He spoke about the potential for conflicts of interest.

“From a logical standpoint, if family members of the sitting president stand as candidates, the potential for conflicts of interest leading to abuse of state power would be quite significant and likely,” he explained.

Sitorus noted that feudal and paternalistic practices in the exercise of governmental and state power remain sufficiently entrenched. Moreover, he said, oversight and law enforcement in elections remain weak.

“With weak law enforcement, pragmatism among voters, and poor performance by electoral administrators and supervisors, the potential for abuse of power increases substantially. This has already been demonstrated in the recent presidential election,” he stated.

Nevertheless, Sitorus deferred the decision on the lawsuit to the court. According to him, in several other countries, such issues are not strictly regulated.

“It is best we await the court’s perspective and ruling. Other countries do not typically address this issue because moral and ethical standards are very strong. The situation here differs, as our country tends towards Machiavellianism,” he said.

Previously, two citizens named Raden Nuh and Dian Amalia filed a lawsuit against the Electoral Law at the Constitutional Court. They requested the court to ban blood relatives or in-laws of the president or vice-president from standing as candidates for president and/or vice-president.

According to the Constitutional Court’s official website on Wednesday (25 February 2026), the lawsuit was registered under case number 81/PUU-XXIV/2026. Both plaintiffs challenged Article 169 of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections.

The plaintiffs request the court to:

• declare that Article 169 of the Electoral Law is inconsistent with the 1945 Constitution and has no binding legal force, insofar as the requirements for presidential and/or vice-presidential candidacy do not mandate freedom from conflicts of interest arising from blood or in-law relationships with the sitting president and/or vice-president within one term of office.