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earing tougher competition, lawmakers have rallied to increase the minimum support requirements for independent candidates to run in local elections.

Factions at the House of Representatives have proposed increasing the requirements for independent candidates to 15 to 20 percent of the final voter list (DPT), from the current 7.5 to 10 percent, in the revision of the 2015 Regional Elections Law.

The move was contrary to a recent Constitutional Court ruling that relaxed requirements for non-partisan candidates by basing the minimum percentage on a region'€™s DPT, instead of its population.

Gerindra Party lawmaker Ahmad Riza Patria, a deputy chairman of House Commission II overseeing home affairs, said the minimum requirements for independent candidates had become much easier since the court ruling, posing a greater threat for candidates nominated by political parties.

He argued that currently a political party or a group of political parties had to gather 20 to 25 percent of seats in a region'€™s legislative council to be able to endorse a pair of candidates.

Ahmad said there should be a '€œwin-win'€ solution for both candidates supported by political parties and independent candidates to run in the elections.

'€œIt will make it harder for political parties to join the competition,'€ Riza said.

He added, however, that he would ensure independent candidates would not have any difficulties running in the 2017 simultaneous regional elections.

In a ruling issued last September, the Constitutional Court ordered that the benchmark minimum amount of support for independent candidates be based on the DPT in each region, instead of its population, lowering the number of required supporters.

In the single-ticket ruling, the court also ordered that elections involving single tickets must be held by adopting a kind of plebiscite or referendum. The ruling on single tickets has been lauded by many as it was deemed it would fill any potential power vacuums because interim leaders appointed by the Home Ministry would not have budgetary authority.

One potential independent hopeful is Jakarta Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama, who might run for a second term in the 2017 gubernatorial elections.

In the draft bill of the law revision, the government accommodated the court rulings, while also proposing making it obligatory for political parties to name candidates.

The government has added a point stating that a political party, on its own or in a coalition, has to name a candidate in a local election. If it failed to do so, the party would be barred from naming candidates in the next concurrent elections.

Golkar Party lawmaker Rambe Kamarul Zaman, who chairs the commission, confirmed that several members in his commission had demanded the change, but said they had yet to discuss it further.

He claimed the demand was an attempt to reach an '€œequal standard'€ between political parties and independent candidates.

'€œThe options are whether to raise the bar for independent candidates or lower the bar for candidates from political parties,'€ he said.

National Mandate Party (PAN) lawmaker Sukiman said that such demands from fellow lawmakers were common, particularly amid the bustle of the upcoming regional elections.

'€œIf it'€™s urgently needed, why not? But if it isn'€™t possible to make [the requirements for independent candidates] higher, why should we force it? We won'€™t deliberate [the revision] based on temporary emotions,'€ Sukiman said.

He added that the commission had to hear opinions from all factions and experts before making a decision.

Tagore Abu Bakar from the Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), meanwhile, said it would be better to increase the requirement to 20 to 25 percent, so it would be equal with the requirements for candidates from political parties.
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