JAKARTA — The Indonesian Center for Electoral Studies (PUSKAPI) has expressed its views on the proposed revision of Indonesia’s Election Law, emphasizing that changes to electoral regulations must not serve the interests of a select few.
PUSKAPI Executive Director Zaenal Abidin Riam stressed the direction that the revision should take. “The revision of the Election Law must be aimed at strengthening popular sovereignty and ensuring a level playing field in electoral competition,” he said.
One of the key issues highlighted is the guarantee of equal nomination rights. PUSKAPI argues that all political parties participating in elections must have an equal opportunity to nominate candidates for president and vice president, without barriers that give certain parties an unfair advantage.
PUSKAPI also calls for a review of the parliamentary threshold. The threshold must be set proportionately and based on objective assessments, without undermining political representation or the voting rights of the people. According to Zaenal, this approach is consistent with efforts to safeguard “electoral integrity and the quality of political representation.”
The organization also underscores the importance of preventing the dominance of major political parties. Electoral rules should not become instruments for restricting competition or favoring particular political groups. “They should not be designed to make it easier for political elites to retain power,” Zaenal stressed.
These views reflect concerns that the design of electoral regulations can significantly affect the fairness of political competition. PUSKAPI therefore calls for the revision process to be conducted transparently and guided by the public interest.
The ultimate goal is to establish fair, inclusive, and equal political competition that strengthens popular sovereignty and improves the quality of democracy in Indonesia.
