Election Expert: KPU-Bawaslu Selection Committee Must Be Formed Before October 2026

Constitutional law expert Titi Anggraini, a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, has stated that President Prabowo Subianto must form the selection committee for candidates of the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) by 12 October 2026 at the latest. She said this deadline is stipulated in Law Number 7 of 2017 on Elections.

According to Article 22 paragraph (8), the KPU candidate selection committee is to be formed by the President no later than six months before the end of the KPU membership term. Article 118 paragraph (8) similarly regulates the formation of the Bawaslu candidate selection committee. “This is because the terms of KPU and Bawaslu members end on 12 April 2027,” Titi said during a public discussion on the prospects for electoral democracy in 2029 at UIN Ciputat, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 7 July 2026.

She noted that Constitutional Court Decision Number 120/PUU-XX/2022 stipulates that the recruitment of election organisers should be conducted before the election stages begin. This applies at the national, provincial, and district/city levels. “Currently, the recruitment of election organisers is carried out concurrently with the election stages,” added Titi, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem).

Based on Article 167 paragraph (6) of Law Number 7 of 2017 on General Elections, she said, the election stages should commence 20 months before the voting day. If the voting day is in February 2029, then the stages should begin in June 2027. Therefore, KPU and Bawaslu at all levels should already be formed before June 2027.

Titi said she currently does not know when the terms of the election organisers will end, as there are various rumours suggesting they could end in 2028, 2029, or even 2030. She urged the government to revise the Election Law so that election organisers can prepare themselves before the election. “We want them to already be recruited, have undergone technical guidance, task orientation, and be able to socialise the rules of the game. We do not want recruitment to take place when the election stages have already begun,” she said.

Previously, KPU Chairman Mochammad Afifuddin stated that the stages for the 2029 election would begin in 2027. The KPU has proposed a budget of IDR 1.4 trillion to finance various preparatory activities, including planning, registration, and candidacy. He detailed the allocation during a working meeting with Commission II of the House of Representatives in Jakarta on Monday, 15 June 2026, with IDR 339.916 billion allocated for programme and budget planning, as well as the drafting of implementing regulations. The budget is intended to support regulatory drafting, socialisation, technical training, electoral technical guidance, strengthening electoral information technology support, selection of Provincial and Regency/City KPU members, and preparation of election stage logistics. A further IDR 464 million was proposed for the registration and verification of election participants.

The last discussion on revising the Election Law was held by Commission II of the DPR on 2 June, featuring researcher Siti Zuhro from the National Research and Innovation Agency and former KPU Chairman Ramlan Surbakti. Under the current law, the government should begin forming the selection committee in August or September.