Police clash with demonstrators protesting Indonesia's legislative reform

Chaos erupted outside parliament, with a handful of protestors attempting to pull down its gates while others pleaded for calm. Police battled with protestors in other major cities, including Padang, Bandung, and Yogyakarta.

Observers believe the power battle between Indonesia's parliament, which is dominated by the president's loyalists, and the country's constitutional court might spark a political catastrophe.

On Wednesday, Indonesia's highest court declared that parties do not need to have a minimum of 20% representation in their regional legislatures to run a candidate.

However, within 24 hours, parliament introduced an emergency motion to rescind these reforms, sparking widespread outcry and worries of a constitutional crisis.

A vote on the fast-tracked legislation, which would overturn portions of the court's decision, was postponed on Thursday due to a lack of MPs present.

If passed, it would maintain the current quo, which favors parties in the outgoing president's and his successor's ruling coalition, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. As a result, many local elections are likely to go uncontested.

The parliament vote also implies that Anies Baswedan, a prominent government critic, will be barred from standing for the powerful position of Jakarta governor.

The Indonesian government is also attempting to circumvent the constitutional court's decision to uphold the current minimum age limit of 30 for candidates, which would prevent Mr Widodo's 29-year-old son, Kaesang Pangarep, from competing in a regional election in Central Java.

Mr Widodo's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is the new vice-president, having run alongside Mr Prabowo. Mr Widodo has downplayed the dispute, claiming that the amendments are part of the government's "checks and balances".

Joko Anwar, one of the demonstrators, claimed that the country's officials appeared to be keen on maintaining their control. "Eventually, we'll just become a powerless mass of objects, even though we're the ones who gave them power," he joked.

"We need to take to the streets." "We have no choice," he explained. On social media, blue posters with the words "Emergency Warning" atop Indonesia's emblematic national eagle were extensively circulated.

According to Titi Anggraini, an elections expert at the University of Indonesia, parliament's attempt to overturn the court's judgment is illegal. "This is a robbery of the constitution," she told BBC Indonesia.