Prabowo’s Political Rights Are Not Lost Despite Becoming President

Jakarta – The President still has the right to declare support for a particular candidate as long as it is in accordance with applicable rules and laws (Ahmad Luthfi-Taj Yasin) the support is within the corridor as the General Chairperson of the Gerindra Party as the supporting party. This was stated by the Daily Chairperson of the Gerindra Party, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad.

He emphasized that the support is a normal attitude of a General Chairperson of the Gerindra Party who is part of the coalition of supporting parties, his right to provide support to regional head candidates is not lost, even though he has become president.

Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said that the President has the right to declare support or campaign as long as he follows applicable rules, including taking leave while campaigning.

“During the campaign, the president can call on and invite the public to vote for a particular candidate pair as long as it is in accordance with laws and regulations,” he said.

Dasco said that Prabowo’s attitude to campaign for one of the candidates in the 2024 Pilkada was regulated in Article 58 of Law Number 20 of 2023. In the policy, it is stated that a president as a state official may campaign.

The provisions for state officials in campaigning are clearly regulated in the KPU Regulation, so that its implementation must comply with the existing requirements and limitations, including the matter of job facilities.

The same thing was also conveyed by Al Azhar academic Ujang Komarudin.
“As long as it is carried out within the corridor as the chairman of a political party, it is legitimate”

He further said that if seen in the circulating video, the support conveyed by Prabowo Subianto was not an intervention or political interference and did not conflict with the law.

Prabowo conveyed this support as the General Chair of the Gerindra Party which supported Ahmad Lutfhi in the 2024 Pilkada of Central Java, there was no intervention in that matter. [**]