Observers: Ensure the MPR Does Not Become a Political Stamp in the Vice Presidential Election

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Arifki Chaniago, Executive Director of Aljabar Strategic Indonesia, cautioned the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) to avoid becoming merely a formal stamp of elite agreements during the verification process for the replacement candidate for Vice President (Wapres) Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Arifki emphasized that the verification team formed by the MPR must objectively examine all candidate requirements, from legal aspects to constitutional compliance.

“In my opinion, a crucial point in this verification process is that the MPR should not become just a formal stamp of elite political agreements,” Arifki told Kompas.com on Saturday (14/11/2026).

According to Arifki, there are three main aspects that the MPR verification team must examine: candidate legality, document validity, and compliance with all constitutional requirements.

He stressed that this examination must be conducted without double standards or special treatment for candidates backed by particular political forces.

“The verification team must thoroughly assess three things: candidate legality, document validity, and compliance with all constitutional requirements. There should be no double standards, especially not special treatment for candidates supported by certain political forces,” he stated.

Arifki noted that the process of replacing the Vice President is not merely about finding someone to fill the vacancy left by Gibran.

Moreover, he asserted that the chosen candidate must possess strong legal legitimacy.

“This process is not just about finding someone to take over the Vice Presidential position but ensuring that the selected individual has unquestionable legal legitimacy,” he said.

He reminded that political agreements among elites should not precede the examination of constitutional requirements for the candidates.

“We must not end up with a candidate who has been agreed upon in elite circles while the constitutional requirements are dealt with later. Law must come before political compromise, not the other way around,” Arifki advised.

As previously reported, the MPR has officially formed a verification team for the requirements of the Vice Presidential candidate to replace Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

MPR Chairman Ahmad Muzani stated that the team consists of 36 members and will be led by one of the MPR leaders.

“The joint meeting has decided that the verification team will consist of 36 members, to be chaired by one of the MPR leaders. The task of this verification team is to verify all the requirements for the Vice Presidential candidate,” Muzani explained at the Parliamentary Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday (13/11/2026).

However, Muzani has yet to disclose the names of the members or the leader of the MPR who will head the verification team.

He only clarified that this team is responsible for examining all the requirements of the Vice Presidential candidate that will be proposed by President Prabowo Subianto.