Bahlil on KPK Proposal: Golkar Elects a New Chairman at Every National Congress
Golkar Party Chairman Bahlil Lahadalia responded to the KPK’s proposal regarding the limitation of political party chairmen to two terms. Bahlil considered the proposal ordinary, as Golkar produces a new chairman at every national congress (Munas).
“Regarding the party chairman, I think each party has its own different methods. In fact, in the Golkar Party, it’s not two terms; there’s a new general chairman at every Munas. So it’s normal in Golkar,” Bahlil said after the Golkar Party Easter event at Tennis Indoor Senayan, GBK, Jakarta, on Friday (24/4/2026) evening.
Bahlil stated that it is not uncommon for Golkar chairmen to serve only one term. According to him, if a Golkar chairman reaches two terms or more, it could be considered an achievement.
“If it’s set at two, it might not even reach two in Golkar, just one term. Right? One, isn’t it? Two would be luck. But if there’s achievement, it might be more than that, wallahualam,” Bahlil said.
“So for us in Golkar, our democracy isn’t like the half-hearted kind in other places. We’re open,” he added.
He then responded to whether the proposal could be regulated in law. Bahlil said it aligns with party decisions, and he believes it is better not to make it uniform.
“I think it’s like this: each has its own mechanism, its own basic bylaws. The basic bylaws are made by each party at the Munas or Congress. That’s the highest quorum for decision-making. So don’t make it uniform. I think that’s it. But any aspiration is fine, no problem,” he stated.
It is known that the KPK has conducted a study on political party governance to prevent corruption. One of them is the KPK’s proposal for a limitation on the leadership term of party chairmen to two periods.
This study was conducted by the KPK in 2025 through the Monitoring Directorate. The KPK identified four points that need improvement in Indonesia’s political party system and provided 16 recommendations.
“To ensure the smooth running of cadre development, a regulation is needed to limit the leadership term of the party chairman to a maximum of two periods,” states one of the recommendations in the KPK’s study results, on Thursday (23/4).