Weighing the Dangers and Efficiency of the Proposal for Regional Elections Without a Deputy
A proposal to hold regional elections without electing deputy regional heads is being widely discussed in the House of Representatives (DPR). The idea was first floated by Muhammad Khozin, a member of Commission II of the DPR from the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction. He also proposed that the deputy should be directly appointed by the elected regional head.
Khozin argued that, in practice, deputy regional heads do not have significant authority and are often used merely as vote-getters. He said he felt sorry for the deputy regional heads in this regard.
“What is the second solution? Revise the Regional Election Law. Let us just elect the regional head without a deputy. The deputy regional head can simply be appointed by the regional head. This is so they do not become just vote-getters; I feel sorry for the current deputy regional heads,” he said.
This proposal has sparked polemics among legislative officials. Those in favour view it as a form of sympathy towards election participants. This view was expressed by Deputy Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Saleh Partaonan Daulay. Nevertheless, in response to the proposal from the PKB faction member of Commission II that regional elections should only elect the regional head without a deputy, Saleh still called for further study.
“This proposal is good and sympathetic. It has been widely discussed across factions, as well as in formal and informal discussions among democracy activists and election observers,” Saleh told reporters on Thursday (6/8/2026).
Meanwhile, the head of the NasDem faction in Commission II of the DPR, Ujang Bey, sees the head and deputy as an inseparable unit. Both are elected to run the government together.
“So far, the product of a regional head is one of the fruits of a political marriage (coalition) of parties at the regional level, which is endorsed at the central board level of each political party. Of course, this political marriage process occurs with various considerations of the candidate, including social capital, political capital, and economic capital,” Ujang told reporters on Thursday (6/8/2026).
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) has called for the immediate formation of a special committee to discuss the matter. PDIP Central Board Chairman Ganjar Pranowo also said that the special committee could soon address a number of election disputes.
“It would be best to immediately form a special committee, so that the discussion of all issues and proposals can be carried out comprehensively,” Ganjar told reporters on Thursday (6/8/2026).