NasDem Rejects KPK Proposal, Party Chairman Maximum Two Terms
The Central Executive Board (DPP) of the NasDem Party has rejected the idea of limiting the tenure of political party chairmen to a maximum of two terms. This proposal was initially put forward by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) based on its study.
NasDem’s Deputy Chairman, Saan Mustopa, stated that every party already has its own internal mechanisms to regulate leadership, including the tenure of the chairman, through each party’s Articles of Association (AD) and Bylaws (ART). Therefore, the issue of the chairman’s position is an internal party matter.
“The position of chairman has its own internal mechanisms for each party. Parties have articles of association and bylaws that regulate their respective internal matters, including tenure,” Saan told reporters in Jakarta on Saturday (25/4/2026).
The Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives emphasised that the appointment of a chairman must be based on the needs of each party. Thus, the tenure cannot be uniformly limited to a maximum of two terms. Saan stated that party officials are the ones who best know and understand which figure is appropriate and worthy to lead.
According to him, there is a difference between the position of a political party chairman and public state positions. Saan mentioned that positions such as the president and regional heads indeed need to be limited because they are public in nature and concern the welfare of the wider population. However, the party chairman is an internal matter determined solely by the dynamics and needs of the party organisation itself.
“The chairman can serve three terms or even more without issue, as long as the internal party democracy process runs well,” Saan said.
Previously, the KPK proposed limiting the tenure of political party chairmen to a maximum of only two terms. This proposal is the result of a study on political party governance by the KPK’s Monitoring Directorate.
Through the study, the KPK views that there is currently no integrated cadre standardisation in political parties. Therefore, according to the KPK, limiting tenure is important to maintain the leadership regeneration process.
“To ensure cadre development runs effectively, regulations are needed to limit the leadership of party chairmen to a maximum of two terms of office,” stated the KPK’s Monitoring Directorate, quoted in Jakarta on Thursday (23/4/2026).
The KPK also urged the Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) to prepare standardisation of political party cadre reporting systems. This system will later be connected to political party financial assistance (banpol) from the Kemendagri.
“The KPK encourages political parties to implement the Constitutional Court Decision Number 60/PUU-XXII/2024 on the minimum threshold for regional head elections through candidate recruitment based on cadre development,” the KPK wrote.