Judicialized Political Development: Constitutional Adjudication, Political Education, and the Redesign of Electoral Competition in Indonesia

Abstract

The development of democracy is not solely determined by electoral competition and institutional reform but also by the capacity of political institutions and citizens to transform institutional changes into meaningful democratic practices. This article examines the role of constitutional adjudication in Indonesia’s political development through the process of judicialization of politics, focusing on Constitutional Court Decision No. 60/PUU-XXII/2024 concerning regional head candidacy thresholds. This study employs a qualitative case study approach using document analysis and process tracing of constitutional provisions, electoral regulations, the Constitutional Court decision, institutional documents, and academic literature on political development, judicialization, political education, political literacy, and political efficacy. The findings demonstrate that the Constitutional Court decision transformed the electoral opportunity structure by altering the basis of candidacy requirements from legislative seat ownership toward electoral support. This transformation expanded political access and strengthened electoral inclusion. However, institutional openness does not automatically generate political development because citizens require adequate political capacity to understand, evaluate, and utilize newly created political opportunities. This article proposes the concept of judicialized political development, arguing that judicial intervention contributes to democratic development when institutional change is mediated through political education, political literacy, political efficacy, and democratic participation