Revision of Election Law Deemed to Miss Core Issues

Executive Director of the Network for Democracy and Electoral Integrity (NETGRIT), Hadar Nafis Gumay, has criticised the stance of political parties in parliament who are solely focused on discussing the parliamentary threshold in relation to the revision of Law Number 7 of 2017 on General Elections (UU Pemilu). Yet, numerous issues require attention to enhance the quality of elections.

“That engineering is more about how to narrow the competition among election participants. So, it does not address the problems of the election,” he said during an online discussion by the Civil Society Coalition for the Codification of the UU Pemilu on Monday, 4 May 2026.

This former KPU Commissioner urged the DPR to promptly discuss the revision of the UU Pemilu. This is because many issues need to be addressed, such as determining the selection system for election organisers. The aim is to select election organisers who carry out their duties professionally. “The selection process for these organisers is problematic, and they are locked in. So far, they have not been able to be free,” he said.

Another important issue concerns the electoral system, such as opening wide access for the public to become election participants and preventing money politics. According to him, discussing the parliamentary threshold will not resolve those problems. “It will not be able to create an election where voters are not difficult or hassled. That will involve the system,” he stated.

He said the public has the right to demand an election that is democratic, honest, clean, efficient, and not expensive. However, he sees the DPR attempting to sideline that by slowing down the discussion on revising the UU Pemilu.

According to his calculations, the election stages begin before 6 months of the term of election organisers like the KPU ends. Thus, by October 2026, the government must start selecting election organisers. “So, the revision of the UU Pemilu needs to be completed before October,” he said.

Previously, Deputy Speaker of the People’s Representative Council Sufmi Dasco Ahmad assessed that the discussion on revising the UU Pemilu still has a long time, so there is no need to rush it. The Daily Chairman of the Gerindra Party reasoned that the DPR wants to produce regulations that are perfect to minimise lawsuits to the Constitutional Court.

“The Election Law has been challenged back and forth. The MK cancels, the MK decides this, then the MK decides something else. So this time, please be patient everyone. We want to make an Election Law that is really close to perfect,” Dasco said at the DPR Complex, Jakarta, on Tuesday, 21 April 2026.

According to Dasco, the stages of the 2029 General Election implementation will not be disrupted. This is because election organisers, such as the KPU and Bawaslu, can refer to the old UU Pemilu. He asked the public to be patient because political parties, whether in parliament or not, are still conducting simulations for revising the UU Pemilu. One of them is the ideal figure for the parliamentary threshold that needs to be changed following the MK’s decision.

“It’s not anything, don’t let us rush or hurry the Election Law and then there are more challenges; we would be confused if the MK has already decided 1 to 5, and there are more decisions. Meanwhile, the MK’s decisions are final and binding,” Dasco said.