Bamsoet Suggests 5% Threshold Could Simplify Political Parties in Parliament
Member of Parliament Bambang Soesatyo believes that the proposal to raise the parliamentary threshold to 5% in the revision of the Election Law is worth considering as part of an effort to simplify Indonesia’s party system. This could also support the discourse regarding the separation of Presidential and Legislative Elections in 2029.
According to him, this figure could serve as a middle ground between the need to strengthen parliamentary effectiveness and maintaining the space for political representation of the people. He also noted that holding Presidential and Legislative Elections separately should be considered to prevent the logistical issues encountered during the 2019 and 2024 elections.
The discourse regarding a 5% parliamentary threshold has gained momentum in the discussions for the Election Law revision. Several political parties, such as Golkar, PKS, and Gerindra, have expressed support for this proposed threshold.
“I agree that a 5 per cent parliamentary threshold is one of the options being seriously discussed in the Election Law revision. In my view, this figure remains within moderate limits. The goal is clear: to build a simpler party system, strengthen parliamentary effectiveness, and ensure that political parties that secure seats possess sufficiently strong public support,” Bamsoet stated in a statement on Saturday (19/9/2026).
Bamsoet shared these views while lecturing on the course of Political Law and Public Policy in the Doctoral Programme of Law at the University of Borobudur, Jakarta.
He explained that the parliamentary threshold should not be viewed solely through the lens of political parties’ interests in gaining seats in the DPR. There is a larger issue: how to design a party system that aligns with a presidential system of government.
Having too many parties in parliament has the potential to make the political decision-making process increasingly complicated, while excessive fragmentation can also affect the effectiveness of policy formation. Therefore, the simplification of parties in the DPR should be positioned as part of a broader political system reform.
In the 2024 General Election, the parliamentary threshold was set at 4% of the national valid votes. Through KPU Decision Number 1204 of 2024, the KPU determined the total valid national votes to be 151,793,293, making the 4% threshold equivalent to approximately 6.07 million votes.
As a result, eight political parties met the threshold and secured seats in the DPR for the 2024-2029 period. The 4% threshold provision was previously regulated under Article 414, paragraph (1) of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections.
“A presidential government requires a relatively stable parliament so that development agendas can proceed effectively. If too many political forces with very small scales enter the DPR, the process of building consensus can become longer and more complex. A 5 per cent parliamentary threshold can serve as an instrument to maintain that balance,” said Bamseb.
Bamsoet explained that increasing the parliamentary threshold from 4% to 5% will undoubtedly spark debate. This is because every increase in the threshold has the potential to increase the number of votes that are not converted into seats.
Therefore, it is essential to conduct a comprehensive revision of the Election Law. The parliamentary threshold must be discussed alongside the electoral system, the method of converting votes into seats, electoral districts, the number of DPR seats, and mechanisms for strengthening political parties. Thus, changes to the parliamentary threshold figure should not stand alone.
The Constitutional Court (MK) has noted that the parliamentary threshold also affects the proportionality of election results because it determines which votes can be converted into DPR seats. In the 2019 Election, for instance, the MK noted that 13,595,842 votes, or approximately 9.7% of the national valid votes, were not converted into DPR seats.
“In determining the parliamentary threshold, what we must measure is the quality of our democratic system. Does the parliament become more effective, is public representation maintained, does the people’s voice become more meaningful, and does the presidential government become more stable? These four questions must be answered simultaneously,” Bamsoet elaborated.
Bamsoet noted that concerns regarding the large number of votes not being converted into seats must be addressed through academic studies and simulations.
Through Decision Number 116/PUU-XXI/2023, the Constitutional Court stated that the 4% parliamentary threshold remains applicable for the 2024 DPR Election, but ordered changes to the norms and the magnitude of the threshold for the 2029 DPR Election and subsequent elections, while observing several constitutional requirements.
In January 2026, the MK noted there were petitions questioning the lack of a maximum limit for the parliamentary threshold, while in the ongoing discussions for the Election Law revision, there are views proposing figures both lower and higher than 5%.
“The Constitutional Court’s decision must be the primary foundation. This means the 5 per cent figure must be legally and academically accountable. We need simulations based on previous election results to see how many votes potentially go unconverted into seats, how it affects seat distribution in each electoral district, and whether the goal of party simplification is truly achieved,” Bamsoet explained.
Bamsoet added that the discussion on the Election Law revision should not focus solely on the parliamentary threshold figure. In his view, the design of the electoral system needs to be discussed in its entirety, ranging from the method of converting votes into seats, the size of electoral districts, the party system, to the mechanism for strengthening the relationship between representatives and their constituents. In this way, changes to the parliamentary threshold can be part of a comprehensive overhaul of the electoral system.