PDIP: Interference in Election Bill Could Drag Democracy Backwards
General Secretary of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Hasto Kristiyanto, has called on the government not to interfere in the ongoing discussions of the Election Bill in the House of Representatives (DPR). He stressed that the legislative process must be conducted independently to safeguard the principle of people’s sovereignty in the democratic system.
“In the reform era, sovereignty lies in the hands of the people. This must not be taken over, whether through non-independent election organising bodies or laws misused for hostage politics,” Hasto said after attending Labour Day commemorations at GOR Otista, Jatinegara, East Jakarta, on Sunday, 3 May 2026.
According to Hasto, the government’s involvement as a partner to the DPR in discussing the bill must not lead to political intervention. He reminded that there should be no power pressures in the democratic process, whether through influence on election organising institutions or the use of legal instruments.
He also alluded to the dynamics of the 2024 elections, which he assessed as coloured by power pressures. That situation, he said, could lower the quality of democracy if repeated in subsequent political processes, including in the revision of the Election Law.
“Do not let there be power pressures as occurred in the previous 2024 elections. When that happens, we regress again,” Hasto stated.
Hasto warned that power interventions could lead to a democratic setback like in the New Order era, when elections were merely formalities without equal competitive space. In such conditions, political outcomes were deemed predetermined by those in power.
He stated that a healthy democratic mechanism must provide space for the people to make choices directly, generally, freely, and secretly. On the other hand, political parties are also demanded to improve their performance to remain relevant in the eyes of voters.
“Let the people decide. Every political party must also improve to provide the best performance among the people,” Hasto said.
Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Services, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, stated that the government is still awaiting the completion of the Election Bill draft in the DPR before officially discussing it.
“The draft in the DPR is not yet complete to this day. Once it’s complete, we will start discussing it,” Yusril said on 25 April 2026, quoted from Antara.
He assessed that the discussion of the Election Bill should be expedited as soon as possible. According to him, ideally, the law could already be completed in the middle of the government’s term, namely around two years and six months since the current period began. That consideration relates to the need for legal certainty ahead of the 2029 election stages.
Yusril reminded that the time until the election implementation is only about two years and six months away. With that timeframe, the discussion process is deemed unable to drag on because it will impact the readiness of election organisation, both in terms of regulations and technical aspects.
Nevertheless, he emphasised that accelerating the discussion greatly depends on the DPR’s readiness to complete the initial draft. The government, he said, will only enter the joint discussion stage after the document is officially submitted by the parliament.
In addition, Yusril acknowledged that this revision of the Election Law will include several important changes. Those changes are follow-ups from various Constitutional Court decisions that impact the design of the election system, including technical and institutional aspects.