Jakarta (ANTARA) – Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra has clarified that a vacancy in the vice presidency cannot be filled automatically, emphasizing that selecting a successor requires a formal election convened by the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR).
Speaking at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Thursday, Yusril outlined the strict constitutional mechanism following the resignation of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
“In this case, it is the Vice President who has stepped down. The position cannot simply be taken over by anyone else; it must be filled through an election,” Yusril told reporters.
The minister drew a distinction between executive vacancies, noting that the automatic presidential succession seen in 1998—when then-Vice President B.J. Habibie assumed the presidency following President Soeharto’s resignation—does not apply in reverse when a vice president steps down.
Under Article 8, paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution, the process mandates that the MPR formally declare the vacancy and notify the President.
Upon receiving notification, the President must promptly nominate two candidates for the MPR to choose from. The constitutional timeline requires the MPR to elect a successor within a maximum of 60 days from the date the office becomes vacant.
Yusril stressed that the process is handled entirely within parliamentary channels rather than a public ballot.
The General Elections Commission (KPU) holds no jurisdiction over the replacement, leaving the authority exclusively with the MPR, he added.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia Galuh P., Genta Tenri M., Yashinta D
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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