Parliamentary Threshold Sparks Early Discussions on Election Bill

The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, emphasised that the meeting between political party chairpersons regarding the Draft Election Law (RUU Pemilu) is still in the initial brainstorming stage. This forum serves as a platform for exchanging ideas in preparation for upcoming discussions by parliamentary factions. As it is still in the early stages, Dasco stressed that the forum has not yet reached a decision regarding the size of the parliamentary threshold.

“Since this is brainstorming, no final determination has been made; the results of these discussions are roughly as conveyed by Mr Sugiono,” Dashend said at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Thursday (17/9).

Dasco noted that the proposal for a 5% parliamentary threshold is one of the views currently developing within the discussions. These deliberations will continue and may adapt to the dynamics that emerge during the drafting process of the Election Bill.

In this process, according to Dasco, political parties are also awaiting the results of public participation collected by Commission II of the DPR RI, which is a necessary step before further discussions. This input will subsequently serve as material for the discussion process at the faction level.

“Brainstorming is only in the early stages and will continue so that the discussions by the factions in the DPR can proceed smoothly,” he said. He added that follow-up forums will be conducted alongside the progress of the discussions. Regarding political parties that did not attend previous meetings, Dasco ensured that all political parties would be involved in future sessions.

He noted that the discussion process for the Election Bill will be a lengthy one. With the current stages ongoing, various views from political parties and the results of public participation will form part of the dynamics within the DPR RI. “We will invite everyone later,” said Dasco.

Sufmi Dasco Ahmad emphasised that he does not wish to rush the drafting of the Election Bill, preferring to mature the studies to avoid repeated lawsuits to the Constitutional Court.

In response to claims that the discussion process of the Draft Election Law is being conducted behind closed doors, the Speaker of the House, Puan Maharani, asserted that political communication is still being maintained.

Regarding specific proposals, the Secretary General of the NasDem Party, Hermawi Taslim, stated that his party remains consistent in pushing for a parliamentary threshold of 7%. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the PDI Perjuangan DPP, Komarudin Watubun, mentioned that a 5% parliamentary threshold could be one of the ideal options in the discussion of the Election Law revision. Additionally, the Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the DPR, Dede Yusuf, revealed that party chairpersons have begun discussing the revision, including proposals for a 4-5% parliamentary threshold, while highlighting the importance of involving non-parliamentary parties to maintain transparency.