Indonesian Lawmakers to Lead Outreach for Election Law Revision

Indonesian lawmakers are preparing for a series of outreach meetings, dubbed a "safari," to engage with political parties not currently represented in parliament. This initiative, led by Deputy Speaker of the House Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Commission II of the DPR (House of Representatives), aims to collect crucial input for the revision of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections.

“

We want the safari to be directly led by Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr. Dasco, along with the leadership of Commission II and the working groups representing the factions.

The outreach is scheduled to begin next week, before the legislative body enters its recess period. The exact format of these discussions is still being finalized, with options including individual visits to each party or a collective meeting for parties that did not meet the parliamentary threshold in the previous election. The goal is to hear aspirations regarding pivotal elements of the election law, such as the parliamentary threshold, presidential threshold, electoral districts, and the number of seats per district.

While the DPR has not yet begun substantive discussions on the revision, the urgency is mounting. The current election law stipulates that the stages of election organization must commence at least 20 months before polling day. If the 2029 elections follow a similar timeline to 2024, with voting expected in February 2029, the process for selecting election organizers would need to start around June-July 2027. This means the selection teams for election organizers should ideally be formed by August or September.

“

It is still being arranged whether we will visit one by one or have a gathering of parties that did not pass the parliamentary threshold. That will be left to the leadership of the House.

In parallel, the government has indicated its willingness to step in with its own draft if the legislative process in the DPR drags on. Coordinating Minister for Legal Affairs, Human Rights, Immigration, and Prisons, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, stated that the government is prepared for renewed negotiations with the DPR if discussions remain unfinished within the next two and a half years. However, Deputy Speaker of Commission II, Zulfikar Arse Sadikin, emphasized that the election law revision remains an initiative of the DPR, included in the 2026 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas).

“

This is an initiative of the DPR, which Commission II has been tasked with preparing. The drafting of the academic paper and the bill is still in progress.