General Secretary of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle\n(PDIP), Hasto Kristiyanto, has called on the government not to interfere\nin the ongoing discussions of the Election Bill in the House of\nRepresentatives (DPR). He stressed that the legislative process must be\nconducted independently to safeguard the principle of people\u2019s\nsovereignty in the democratic system.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the reform era, sovereignty lies in the hands of the people. This\nmust not be taken over, whether through non-independent election\norganising bodies or laws misused for hostage politics,\u201d Hasto said\nafter attending Labour Day commemorations at GOR Otista, Jatinegara,\nEast Jakarta, on Sunday, 3 May 2026.<\/p>\n
According to Hasto, the government\u2019s involvement as a partner to the\nDPR in discussing the bill must not lead to political intervention. He\nreminded that there should be no power pressures in the democratic\nprocess, whether through influence on election organising institutions\nor the use of legal instruments.<\/p>\n
He also alluded to the dynamics of the 2024 elections, which he\nassessed as coloured by power pressures. That situation, he said, could\nlower the quality of democracy if repeated in subsequent political\nprocesses, including in the revision of the Election Law.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not let there be power pressures as occurred in the previous 2024\nelections. When that happens, we regress again,\u201d Hasto stated.<\/p>\n
Hasto warned that power interventions could lead to a democratic\nsetback like in the New Order era, when elections were merely\nformalities without equal competitive space. In such conditions,\npolitical outcomes were deemed predetermined by those in power.<\/p>\n
He stated that a healthy democratic mechanism must provide space for\nthe people to make choices directly, generally, freely, and secretly. On\nthe other hand, political parties are also demanded to improve their\nperformance to remain relevant in the eyes of voters.<\/p>\n
\u201cLet the people decide. Every political party must also improve to\nprovide the best performance among the people,\u201d Hasto said.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and\nCorrectional Services, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, stated that the government\nis still awaiting the completion of the Election Bill draft in the DPR\nbefore officially discussing it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe draft in the DPR is not yet complete to this day. Once it\u2019s\ncomplete, we will start discussing it,\u201d Yusril said on 25 April 2026,\nquoted from Antara.<\/p>\n
He assessed that the discussion of the Election Bill should be\nexpedited as soon as possible. According to him, ideally, the law could\nalready be completed in the middle of the government\u2019s term, namely\naround two years and six months since the current period began. That\nconsideration relates to the need for legal certainty ahead of the 2029\nelection stages.<\/p>\n
Yusril reminded that the time until the election implementation is\nonly about two years and six months away. With that timeframe, the\ndiscussion process is deemed unable to drag on because it will impact\nthe readiness of election organisation, both in terms of regulations and\ntechnical aspects.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, he emphasised that accelerating the discussion greatly\ndepends on the DPR\u2019s readiness to complete the initial draft. The\ngovernment, he said, will only enter the joint discussion stage after\nthe document is officially submitted by the parliament.<\/p>\n
In addition, Yusril acknowledged that this revision of the Election\nLaw will include several important changes. Those changes are follow-ups\nfrom various Constitutional Court decisions that impact the design of\nthe election system, including technical and institutional aspects.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pdip-interference-in-election-bill-could-drag-democracy-backwards-1777856026", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }