Aceh’s Position in the Designation of People’s Mining Areas (WPR) amid the Centralization of Mining Authority

The centralization of mining authority following the enactment of Law No. 2 of 2025 and Government Regulation No. 39 of 2025 has raised questions concerning the position of the Aceh Government in the designation of People’s Mining Areas (Wilayah Pertambangan Rakyat/WPR), particularly regarding the interaction between the national legal framework governing mineral and coal mining and Aceh’s special status under Law No. 11 of 2006. This study aims to examine the scope of the Aceh Government’s authority and develop an appropriate normative framework for WPR designation based on the principle of lex specialis derogat legi generali. Employing a normative juridical approach, the study applies statutory, conceptual, historical, and legal harmonization approaches. The Law on the Government of Aceh (UUPA) continues to operate as lex specialis, whereas the national mineral and coal mining framework applies only to the extent that it does not supersede Aceh’s special legal arrangements. The principal legal issue arises from a regulatory gap in the implementing framework governing the exercise of authority. This study proposes a functional allocation of authority in which regency and municipal governments submit WPR proposals, the Governor of Aceh exercises designation authority, and the Central Government performs standardization and supervisory functions. This framework is intended to reconcile the national mining governance system with Aceh’s constitutionally and statutorily recognized special autonomy.