Indonesia’s top judge ordered to resign over ruling allowing Joko Widodo’s son to run as VP

Chief Justice Anwar Usman and other constitutional judges ‘collectively violated’ their ethical behaviour code, a judicial panel rules

Many see the panel’s ruling as another stain on Widodo’s reputation, as the top judge is the president’s brother-in-law

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Gibran Rakabuming Raka, vice-presidential candidate and son of President Joko Widodo, at an army hospital in Jakarta on October 26, 2023. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 10:20pm, 7 Nov 2023Updated: 12:34am, 8 Nov 2023

A judicial panel on Tuesday ordered Indonesia’s top judge to step down after finding him guilty of ethical violations over a ruling that enabled President Joko Widodo’s eldest son to run in next year’s election.

The panel had probed the involvement of Chief Justice Anwar Usman, who presided over a ruling last month which paved the way for Gibran Rakabuming Raka to run as vice-president in February’s general and legislative election.

Anwar had led the constitutional court comprising nine judges that oversaw the controversial ruling regarding the age limit of presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

The panel’s verdict said Anwar – who is also Widodo’s brother-in-law – should have recused himself from the case, given his conflict of interest.

Many legal experts and observers had described the court’s verdict as undemocratic. A public outcry following the ruling had also led to hopes that Anwar would be dismissed from his position.

While the panel ordered Anwar to step down from his position as Chief Justice, he can continue to serve as one of the court’s nine judges. Anwar must also recuse himself from any future election-related cases if there is a potential conflict of interest.

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