Golkar Secretary-General: DPR Must Immediately Discuss Revision of Election Law

Secretary-General of the Golkar Party, Muhammad Sarmuji, is pushing for the discussion of the revision to Law No. 7 of 2017 on General Elections to be expedited so as not to impact the implementation of the 2029 Elections. This is because, he said, the initial stages of the elections will begin in late 2026. “It’s impossible to conduct recruitment of election organisers without the law being finalised. So, if this law is to be amended, we must start the discussions immediately,” Sarmuji said at the House of Representatives complex in Jakarta on Thursday, 16 April 2026. If the discussion is delayed and postpones approval, he said, it will affect the stages of the 2029 Elections. Therefore, according to him, the discussion of the Election Bill must be completed this year to avoid compressing the schedule. “There might be some stages shortened to align with the election law that will be discussed later,” he said. This member of Commission VI of the DPR stated that the Golkar Party is always ready to discuss changes to the Election Law that can bring improvements. He suspects that the discussion of the planned revision to the Election Law in Commission II of the DPR is still progressing slowly due to other issues, such as energy security and the domestic national situation. “We are currently facing problems that are not easy. There is energy security that must be secured, so we must focus on that,” he said. Although considering various current situations, Sarmuji called on the DPR and the government not to delay the discussion of the Election Bill. He said the urgency of discussing this law revision needs to be reviewed again. “But from the Golkar Party Faction, if it is to be changed, it is best to start the discussion immediately,” he said. The last discussion of the revision to the Election Law was held by Commission II of the DPR on 10 March 2026. At that time, they presented former Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law, and Security Mohammad Mahfud Mahmodin and former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Jimly Asshidiqqie. Member of Commission II of the DPR Ahmad Doli Kurnia Tandjung said the discussion of the Election Bill should have been held on Monday, 13 April 2026. But the Golkar politician admitted he did not know the reason why Commission II postponed that agenda. As planned, the agenda for that day was to hold an internal meeting hearing a presentation from the DPR Expertise Agency (BKD). According to Doli, the discussion of the revision to the Election Law is very important considering the approaching election timeline. For example, he said, Constitutional Court decisions related to several election issues. Especially MK Decision No. 135 which separates the implementation of elections between national and local elections. He said that decision has elicited differing opinions from various parties, so it must be responded to immediately by completing the discussion of the revision to the Election Law. Doli hopes that party leaders and the DPR together with factions can take a progressive stance in discussing the revision to the Election Law. The aim is to provide legal certainty in the five-yearly democratic event. “If this is done at the beginning of 2027, I think it’s not just tight, but already very late,” Doli said at the DPR complex on Wednesday, 15 April 2026.