Nusantara: A New Capital City or a Costly Gamble for Indonesia?

The strategic relocation of the national capital from Jakarta to IKN has far-reaching implications for Indonesia. This article aimed to analyze the legal aspects and other impacts of the state capital relocation. The legal aspects that were the focus were the justification and legitimacy of the formation of Law Number 3 of 2022 on the Relocation of the National Capital. In addition, this article also examined the potential social impacts that may arise from the relocation of the state capital, such as the potential for new inequality issues, environmental impacts, and risks to the sustainability of the IKN project. The research method used was normative legal research with a statutory approach. The data used in this research was secondary data consisting of primary legal materials and secondary legal materials. The conclusions that were drawn were in accordance with the issues that were investigated through descriptive and qualitative data analysis. The results showed that the legal justification and legitimacy of the formation of Law Number 3 of 2022 regarding the National Capital still need to be questioned. Furthermore, the relocation of the national capital also has the potential to cause various social impacts that need to be anticipated and handled properly.