240 Delegates From 15 Countries Attend Constitutional Court Congress In Bali

Nusa Dua (Antara Bali)- Some 80 foreign delegates from 14 countries and 160 others from Indonesia participate in the Third  Congress of the Association of Constitutional Courts and Equivalent Institutions of Asia (AACC).

The congress is being held in Bali from August 9 to 13 under the theme of "Advancement and Protection of Citizens' Constitutional Rights".

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) officially opened the congress, here, on Thursday.

Indonesian high ranking officials attending the congress included Chief of the Constitutional Court (MK) Arief Hidayat, Justice and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung,  National Police Chief General Tito Karnavian, according to information from the MC.

During a senior officials' meeting held two days earlier, it was agreed that a joint secretariat to be established and manned by three countries, namely Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey, that would handle different fields.

In addition to English, Russian language is accepted as a working language of the association as several member countries use Russian as their official language.

During the congress, the delegates will discuss amendment of the Statute of the AACC, and appoint new AACC President on Friday.

The congress is also expected to yield a Bali Declaration.

The aim of the congress is to promote the development of democracy, laws and constitutional rights in Asia through exchange of information and experiences regarding constitutional issues. It will also strive for deepening cooperation and friendship among constitutional institutions across Asia.

Of the association's 16 members, 14 are participating in the congress. The countries are Indonesia, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the Philippines, Turkey, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Russia, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar. Pakistan and Uzbekistan do not attend the congress.

The congress also invites Venice Commission of Europe and Morocco as African representative.

The first congress of the association was held in South Korea in May 2012, and the second was held in Turkey in April 2014. (WDY)