Government Signals Readiness to Take Over Election Bill Initiative, Expert: DPR's Reasons Are Fabricated

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Executive Director of the Network for Democracy and Electoral Integrity (NETGRIT) and former Commissioner of the General Elections Commission (KPU) Hadar Nafis Gumay views that the DPR has no desire to initiate the revision of the Election Law (RUU Pemilu). Although the RUU Pemilu has already been included in the prolegnas, Hadar assesses that there has been no development at all from the DPR so far. “The DPR appears unwilling to start the discussion process with fabricated reasons. It has been nearly 1.5 years since they decided to do it by including it in the prolegnas. There has been no result,” Hadar told Kompas.com on Sunday (3/5/2026). According to Hadar, the RUU Pemilu is now at a standstill and tends to be postponed. “There is a need to improve the quality of upcoming elections. It must start with us having a good Election Law that contains strong regulations and ensures the implementation of simple, clean, affordable, and democratic elections,” he emphasised. Therefore, he said, it is very important to have one draft as a basis for starting discussions. “Then it can be debated together by political parties and other stakeholders who may have many differing views. That’s fine, but the reference becomes clear through an open and meaningfully participatory process,” Hadar added. Even from the government’s side, it has already given signals of readiness, amid political interest tug-of-war and the formal discussion in parliament not yet started. Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Services Yusril Ihza Mahendra stated that the government is open to the opportunity to become the proposer of the RUU Pemilu draft if the process in the DPR continues to be at a standstill. “If, for example, after one and a half or two and a half years it still hasn’t been completed, then indeed there’s no harm in renegotiating who will submit the draft,” said Yusril, when met after attending the UN Bimtek event in East Jakarta on Wednesday (29/4/2026).