JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – Ten requests for a judicial review of the controversial Regional Election Bill (RUU Pilkada) have been submitted to the Constitutional Court on Monday (Sep. 29) morning, Kompas.com reported.

The requests for judicial review were submitted on behalf of individuals and civil society groups, among others, Supriyadi Widodo Eddyono, Wiladi Budiharga, Indriaswati D Saptaningrum, Ullin Ni’am Yusron, Anton Aliabbas, Antarini Pratiwi, the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), the Indonesian Women Coalition (KPI), the Press Legal Aid Institute (LBH Pers), and the Indonesian Human Rights Monitor (Imparsial).

As reported earlier, the House of Representatives (DPR) has passed the Regional Election Bill (RUU Pilkada) into law on early Friday (Sep. 26) that erasing the direct election of regional leaders and reinstating the election of regional leaders by the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) at regency/municipality and provincial level.

The passage of the controversial bill occurred after the Red-and-White coalition of losing president candidate Prabowo Subianto beat the coalition of President-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo with a landslide victory after President SBY’s Democratic Party disappointingly walked out from the voting.

Pressure is now mounting to the President, Democratic Party, and the Red-and-White coalition for eliminating the people’s constitutional rights to directly choose their regional leaders. (haryantos@yosefardi.biz)