Golkar and PKS agree to propose a 5 per cent parliamentary threshold
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Golkar Party Secretary-General Muhammad Sarmuji said the Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) have agreed to propose a parliamentary threshold of around five per cent in deliberations on the revision of the Election Law.
“Yes, we have agreed on a moderate parliamentary threshold figure, around five per cent,” Sarmuji told journalists by telephone in Jakarta on Tuesday.
According to Sarmuji, the agreement was reached during a meeting between the Golkar Central Executive Board and the PKS Central Leadership Council in Jakarta on Monday (14 September).
Sarmuji explained that the figure was chosen because Golkar wants the party system and elections to align with the presidential system of government, which he said should be underpinned by a simple multiparty system.
“It should be a simple multiparty system, not an extreme one. The number of parties in the House of Representatives should not be very large, but the threshold must also not be too high so that ideological fragmentation in society can be reflected in the party system,” he said.
According to Sarmuji, a figure of around five per cent is rational to apply as the parliamentary threshold for the upcoming legislative elections.
Earlier, the Golkar Executive Board received a visit from the PKS Central Leadership Council at its Jakarta office on Monday (14 September) evening.
Golkar Chairman Bahlil Lahadalia said one of the agenda items discussed at the meeting was a number of crucial points related to the planned revision of the Election Law.
“We want an electoral system that continues to reflect the voice of the people, but also allows for the presence of quality members of parliament,” Bahlil said.
The meeting also discussed strengthening communication and cooperation between the two parties, as well as support for the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
As a follow-up, Golkar Secretary-General Muhammad Sarmuji and PKS Secretary-General Muhammad Kholid were tasked with discussing further the format of cooperation between the two parties.
The parliamentary threshold for the 2024 elections was 4 per cent of the national valid vote, as stipulated in Article 414 paragraph (1) of Law Number 7 of 2017 on Elections.
The Constitutional Court, through Decision Number 116/PUU-XXI/2023, ruled that this provision remains in force for the 2024 House elections, but for the 2029 House elections and thereafter, the norm and the parliamentary threshold figure must be amended in accordance with the requirements set by the Court.