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View all search resultsHouse hearing on court’s ruling separating elections draws criticism
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A General Elections Commission (KPU) official shows 2024 general election ballot papers on Feb. 5, 2024, in the logistics warehouse at Cempaka Putih Sports Hall in Central Jakarta. (Antara/Erlangga Bregas Prakoso)
A
n unexpected House of Representatives hearing on a recent Constitutional Court ruling that ordered that national and local elections be held separately starting in 2029 has alarmed activists and experts, who warn that lawmakers may be looking for ways to delegitimize the court decision.
The ruling on June 26 mandated that voters will no longer cast five different ballots on the same day for presidential and legislative elections. Instead, the elections will be held on two separate dates, with those for the president and national legislature taking place in 2029 followed by polls for members of regional legislatures (DPRD) at the provincial and municipal or regental level no sooner than two years and two and a half years later, respectively.
Although electoral matters fall under House Commission II overseeing home affairs, Commission III, which is responsible for legal affairs, convened a public consultation on Friday to scrutinize the ruling, giving the floor to those critical of the new election timeframe.
Invitees included former court justice Patrialis Akbar, who once served time in prison for bribery, Taufik Basari, who chairs the Constitutional Studies Commission at the People’s Consultative Assembly, and University of Indonesia (UI) professor Valina Singka Subekti, a former member of the Election Organization Ethics Council (DKPP).
In his presentation, Patrialis, also a former law minister, backed concerns raised by lawmakers and political parties that the ruling contradicted the Constitution, which mandates that presidential and legislative elections be held every five years. He said this means that elections for the national and regional legislatures must be held simultaneously.
Taufik, a politician of NasDem Party, which has publicly rejected the ruling, criticized the court for creating what he described as a “constitutional deadlock”, arguing that either implementing or ignoring ruling would risk violating the Constitution.
Valina, meanwhile, urged the House to follow earlier rulings instead, such as a 2013 decision mandating simultaneous presidential and legislative polls and a 2019 ruling offering six election models with the final choice left to lawmakers.
