PDIP: Parliamentary Threshold Requires Cross-Party Agreement

General Secretary of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Hasto Kristiyanto, responded to the proposal by Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Services, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, regarding a parliamentary threshold based on the number of commissions in the House of Representatives (DPR).

Hasto stated that his party prefers to open space for dialogue with all political parties before determining its stance on the ideal parliamentary threshold figure. He conveyed this after attending the PDIP Labour Day commemoration in East Jakarta on Sunday, 3 May 2026.

“We are in dialogue with other parties, including non-parliamentary parties, as they also have rights to their existence. This is what PDIP Perjuangan pays attention to, so that it will eventually lead to a picture that can be agreed upon together,” said Hasto.

According to him, the discussion on the parliamentary threshold is not merely about numbers, but must start from the philosophy of post-reformasi democracy. Hasto noted that since the fall of the Soeharto regime, Indonesia has provided ample space for political parties to develop, as reflected in the first reform-era election which was contested by dozens of parties.

He explained that in a presidential system, the existence of a parliamentary threshold is necessary to maintain government effectiveness. That mechanism, he said, is a democratic instrument that gives authority to the people to determine which parties are entitled to send representatives to parliament.

Hasto added that the increase in the threshold over time has been done gradually to consolidate the number of parties in the DPR to make it more effective in supporting government operations. However, he stressed that determining the ideal figure must still go through a political process and in-depth study. “If we’re talking about numbers, yes, every party has its interests and stakes,” he said.

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Correctional Services, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, proposed that the number of commissions in the DPR be used as the threshold for political parties participating in legislative elections to be able to sit in parliament and form factions. He explained that the intent of the number of commissions means that every political party must obtain at least 13 seats in the DPR because the current number of commissions in the DPR RI is 13.

“For example, what is used as a reference is actually how many commissions there are in the DPR. Now, that is regulated in the rules of procedure, it should be regulated in the Law,” said Yusril after attending the Technical Guidance for DPRD Members in Jakarta on Wednesday, quoted from Antara.

He stated that political parties that do not reach the minimum threshold of 13 seats can form joint coalitions with a total number of seats meeting the requirements or join the faction of a larger party, so that all voter voices remain accommodated in the representation system in the DPR.

The discussion on the size of the parliamentary threshold emerged after the Constitutional Court in Case Number 116/PUU-XVIII/2023 decided to abolish the provision of a 4 percent parliamentary threshold in the Election Law. In its legal considerations, the Court deemed that the provision was not in line with the principles of popular sovereignty, electoral justice, and legal certainty guaranteed by the constitution. Therefore, the DPR will revise the Election Law, which will include a new figure for the threshold.