Constitutional Law Expert: Without Revising the Election Law, It Will Be Difficult to Obtain Competent Organisers

Jakarta - A constitutional law expert from Universitas Bhayangkara, Ida Budhiati, assesses that revising the Election Law is an important prerequisite for producing competent election organisers in the upcoming period. According to Ida, without regulatory updates, the election organiser selection process is likely to fail in attracting individuals suited to institutional needs and future election challenges. “If the current regulations have not undergone changes, it will be difficult for the selection team to obtain profiles that match institutional aspects as well as legal aspects of elections,” Ida stated at the Public Forum: Promoting Transparency and Participation in the Discussion of the Election Bill, held online on Monday (4/5/2026). Therefore, Ida said, various aspects of election administration, both substantive and technical, need to be improved based on previous experiences. She explained that the need for revising the Election Law is at least driven by three factors. First, the results of juridical and empirical studies from the experiences of organisers, participants, and voters in implementing existing rules. “These three aspects create a situation that can no longer avoid the need to update the election law,” Ida emphasised. Ida also reminded that previous experiences show that issuing regulations overlapping with election stages has a negative impact on election governance. “Regulations issued overlapping with election stages are truly detrimental to our election governance. The impact is felt not only by organisers but also by participants and voters,” she said. Therefore, Ida also encourages the DPR and government to immediately start and complete the discussion of the revision to the Election Law before the organiser selection process begins. “The hope is that before the election organiser selection is conducted, the election law is already in place, as it will serve as a benchmark for the selection team to obtain the right individuals,” Ida said. She stated that regulatory certainty is the primary prerequisite in ensuring that the election organiser selection process runs effectively and credibly.