By Ananda Teresia and Kate Lamb

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's Constitutional Court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit seeking a change to the country's election ballot system, a decision that will see people continue to vote directly for individual lawmakers in future polls.

Indonesia is set to hold simultaneous legislative and presidential elections in February 2024.

The case, brought by several politicians including from the ruling Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), had sought a return to the closed ballot system, which had fueled concern about political interference in next year's elections.

One judge, Suhartoyo, said the court had considered that an open system boosts "healthy competition" and "provides flexibility to the voters".

Critics had said changing the current open system would have taken the world's third-largest democracy back to the era of authoritarian rule, when only heads of political parties were empowered to appoint lawmakers.

Eight out of nine parties represented in parliament, including those allied with the ruling PDI-P, had denounced the case.

(Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor, Martin Petty)