Siti Zuhro: Election Bill Must Be Discussed Immediately for a Quality 2029 Election
Jember, East Java (ANTARA) - Senior Political Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Prof. Siti Zuhro, is urging that the Draft Law on General Elections (RUU Pemilu) be discussed as soon as possible to produce high-quality 2029 elections.
“Although a legal umbrella is not everything, the package of political laws, such as the Election Bill, should have begun being worked on since 2025, with discussions peaking in 2026,” she stated while attending the 2026 University of Jember Alumni Family (KAUJE) Festival in Jember Regency, East Java, on Saturday.
Ideally, she continued, the Election Bill should be completed by 2 nghiệm 2026, so that 2027 provides enough time to socialise the new Election Law, which is expected to serve as the legal framework for creating high-quality 2029 elections.
“In my opinion, there is a lack of momentum; we have now entered July 2026. The fact is, there has been no serious discussion regarding the revision of the Election Law until now, even though it has been included in the National Legislative Program (Prolegnas),” said the alumna of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Jember.
She explained that the stages for the 2029 Legislative Elections will begin in 2027, and the formation of the selection committee for election organisers should also take place this year. However, to date, the revision of Law Number 17 of 2017 concerning Elections has not yet been seriously discussed.
“Civil society coalitions must pressure the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government to immediately conduct serious discussions on the Election Bill so that high-quality election results can be achieved,” she said.
“If these two things are not prioritised, then there will be no enforcement of justice and no quality democracy,” she added.
The revision of the Election Law is recorded as a priority bill in the 2025 National Legislative Program (Prolegnas), proposed by the Legislative Body of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), and is currently a priority in the 2026 Prolegnas proposed by Commission II of the DPR RI.
The Election Bill must fully accommodate all decisions of the Constitutional Court that have corrected or reconstructed electoral rules for legislative elections, presidential elections, and regional head elections.
Previously, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, ensured that the Bill regarding the Amendment to Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections would be designed to prioritise honesty, justice, and the protection of the people’s interests.
Puan stated that all political parties in the DPR RI have engaged in discussions regarding the Bill, both formally and informally, and that party chairpersons have also been communicating with one another.