A legal challenge to the vice-presidential candidacy of Gibran Rakabuming Raka has drawn a rival submission to Indonesia's Constitutional Court, according to reporting by Rmol.id. The outlet described the lawsuit filed by Denny Indrayana and others as pointless and said it has only stirred up noise. Volunteers backing Gibran have delivered an amicus curiae, or friend-of-the-court brief, to the court in connection with the case, CNN Indonesia reported.
The dispute centers on whether Gibran meets the educational requirements for the office. DetikNews reported that the question of his schooling has been brought before the Constitutional Court, and that President Joko Widodo has publicly recounted his son's educational history. The Constitutional Court itself has published material examining whether it has the authority to review the validity of a vice-presidential candidate's education credentials.
Kompas.com reported on three points of proof raised in the case seeking to annul Gibran's candidacy. The court's own publication poses the jurisdictional question at the heart of the matter: whether the bench is empowered to examine the validity of the education requirement for a vice-presidential candidate at all.
Rmol.id's framing of the suit as futile suggests the outlet sees little prospect of the challenge succeeding. The outcome now rests with the Constitutional Court, which must first decide whether it has jurisdiction before it can reach the substance of the claim.
