House Commission II to Conduct Safari to Parties to Discuss Election Law Revision
Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Commission II, Bahtra Banong, stated that the DPR is still absorbing public aspirations in drafting the revision of the Election Law. According to the Gerindra Party politician, Commission II will conduct a safari to political parties, including non-parliamentary parties.
“Going forward, we will be more proactive. Perhaps we will also visit political parties to request their input,” Bahtra said at the parliament building in Jakarta on Monday, 15 June 2026.
Bahtra explained that the results of Commission II’s consultation with Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad confirmed that the legislative body needs to continue receiving input in preparation for the deliberation of the Election Law revision. He stated that the DPR still has a considerable amount of time before truly entering the substantive discussion phase for the revision of Law Number 7 of 2017.
“The most important thing in making a law is that the space for public participation must also be involved. Therefore, we have plenty of time. That is why we continue to ask for input from the public,” Bahtra said.
Interviewed separately, Deputy Chairman of Commission II Zulfikar Arse Sadikin gave a similar response. Zulfikar stated that Commission II continues to enrich discussions on the Election Law revision through public hearings with political and electoral experts.
Although the substantive discussion of the revision has yet to take place, he stressed that the DPR remains the initiator of the Election Bill. He also confirmed that the Election Law revision remains on the 2026 National Legislation Programme list.
“This is a DPR initiative, with Commission II instructed to draft it. Now, we are still in the stage of preparing the academic paper and the bill draft,” said the Golkar Party politician at the parliament building on Monday.
The government has opened up the possibility of becoming the proposer of the Election Law revision draft if the discussion in the DPR drags on. Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, said the government is ready to renegotiate with the DPR if the deliberation is not completed within the next two and a half years.
The deliberation of the Election Law revision was last held by Commission II on 2 June. At that time, the DPR presented researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency Siti Zuhro and Chairman of the General Elections Commission for the 2004–2007 period, Ramlan Surbakti. Based on the currently applicable law, the government should begin forming a selection committee for election organisers in August or September.
Article 167 paragraph (6) of the current Election Law mandates that election stages commence no later than 20 months before voting day. If the 2029 elections follow the previous pattern like the 2024 elections, voting day is estimated to be around February 2029. Therefore, the stages must commence around June–July 2027.