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View all search resultsLaw revision must prioritize competitive elections, forum says
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Democracy in action: An inmate has his finger inked after casting his ballot for the 2024 presidential and legislative elections on Feb. 14, 2024, at a polling station in a prison in Banda Aceh, Aceh. (AFP/Chaideer Mahyuddin)
T
he upcoming revision of the General Elections Law must strengthen fair competition and effective governance rather than merely adjust electoral mechanics, a forum of experts said on Monday as political elites begin informal talks on the issue ahead of the 2029 elections.
During a discussion in Central Jakarta on Monday, political analysts and researchers pointed out what should be addressed in the planned revision, which aimed to strengthen the country’s electoral system and incorporate several Constitutional Court rulings into election rules.
“Every proposed change in this revision process must serve to improve electoral integrity, with rules that support fairer competition, equal political rights, credible administration and accountability among elected officials,” said Medelina K. Hendytio, deputy executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Her remarks came as political parties in President Prabowo Subianto’s ruling coalition began informal closed-door discussions on the possible electoral changes this month, including the legislative threshold. The Constitutional Court ruled in 2024 that the 4 percent threshold for political parties to secure seats in the House of Representatives must be revised because it was inconsistent with the principles of popular sovereignty and electoral fairness.
Formal House deliberations on the revision have been delayed until 2027, raising concerns among observers over the time available to prepare for the next election.
Among the priorities in the revision, according to CSIS political researcher Arya Fernandes, is to boost competition by reconsidering the extent to which family members of a political figure could compete. He said, without naming names, that the “same political elites” have been shaping the candidate selections since the 1999 elections to this day.
“The revision should regulate the candidacy of people with political family ties,” Arya suggested in the forum. “This is not new in other democracies, where rules have been introduced to provide a pause for relatives of political figures.”
