The News
Indonesian lawmakers scrapped plans to revise the country’s election laws after widespread protests Thursday. Critics said the plan was outgoing President Joko Widodo’s attempt at consolidating power by blocking a vocal critic from running for the post of Jakarta’s governor and making it easier for Widodo’s youngest son to run for local office.
Foreign investors have approved of Widodo’s handling of the Southeast Asian country’s economy for a decade, but voters have grown increasingly frustrated with his attempts at retaining power, including tapping his eldest son to be vice president in the next administration. “The people are angry at the ongoing manipulation of our democratic system,” one political scientist told Al Jazeera.