Aiming for the 2029 Vice Presidential Candidacy, Petitioner Requests Constitutional Court to Change Minimum Education Requirement Above High School

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The educational requirements for presidential (capres) and vice-presidential (cawapres) candidates outlined in Article 169 letter r of Law No. 7 of 2017 on General Elections have been officially challenged in a judicial review at the Constitutional Court (MK).

The petitioner, Karianto Tampubolon, claims his legal standing as he plans to run for the position of Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia in the 2029 elections.

"Thus, the stipulation regarding education requirements could prevent me from being one of the candidates for Vice President," reads his petition with registration number 398/PUU-XXIV/2026, as quoted by Kompas.com on Monday (26/10/2026).

The petitioner requests that the minimum educational requirement be raised from a high school diploma (SMA) to above high school graduation.

One of his arguments is that leaders with higher education have better opportunities to improve the welfare of their people.

"A leader with a diploma above SMA has a greater chance of being able to improve the welfare of the people or society compared to a leader with just an SMA diploma," the petition states, as quoted by Kompas.com on Monday (26/10/2026).

The petitioner believes that national leaders play a crucial role in determining the direction of national education, as well as in formulating policies for poverty alleviation and social welfare.

Leaders with higher educational backgrounds are considered more capable of producing data-driven public policies to respond to complex economic indicators.

"Political sociology studies show that leaders with higher education backgrounds tend to make data-based decisions (evidence-based policy). Educated leaders are better able to understand complex economic indicators, such as inflation, the Gini ratio, and the Human Development Index (HDI)," the petition continues.

Additionally, the petitioner cites theories such as the Human Capital Theory, the Meritocracy Theory, and the Technocracy Theory.

The petitioner argues that the implementation of educational requirements above SMA is more appropriate for achieving the goals outlined in the Preamble and Core Body of the 1945 Constitution in advancing the general welfare.

"According to our records, a person who graduated from SMA does not have the capability to interpret empirical facts and lacks the ability to evaluate data from scientific research," the petition further states.

In his conclusion, the petitioner asks the MK to declare the request to amend the wording of Article 169 letter r of Law No. 7 of 2017 to:

"Requirements to become a Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidate should be at least above a high school diploma, including aliah madrasah, vocational high school, vocational aliah madrasah, or other equivalent schools."