House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto (front left) accompanied by House deputy speaker Fahri Hamzah (front right) strikes the gavel during the 32nd House plenary meeting of meeting period V of 2016-2017 at the Parliament Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, early Friday morning, July 21. The House passed the election bill after selecting option A, which stipulates a presidential nomination threshold of 20 percent of House seats or 25 percent of national votes.
The General Elections Bill was finally approved by the House of Representatives (DPR). Efforts of deliberation for consensus failed. Four factions walked out.
The government party coalition, not including the National Mandate Party (PAN), which defected, supported the General Elections Bill with the presidential nomination threshold requirement of 20 percent of the House seats and 25 percent of the national votes. The factions of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party, Nasdem, Hanura and the National Awakening Party (PKB) were compact and solid, supporting the government. With the approval of the threshold, no party can nominate a presidential candidate and a vice president candidate based on the votes and seats in the 2014 elections. The PDI-P has only about 19 percent of the votes. Coalitions have to be formed.
Efforts to reach deliberation consensus in line with the fourth principle of Pancasila failed. The PAN Party faction joined to walk out with the Democratic Party faction, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction and the Gerindra Party Faction. The four factions rejected voting and demanded a presidential nomination without any threshold, namely zero percent, in line with their interpretation of the Constitutional Court verdict in the simultaneous general elections. PAN, which has one seat of a minister position in the Work Cabinet, has a different stance from the government.
The General Elections Bill, which has been approved by the House of Representatives, is the foundation of the 2019 general elections. However, the foundation is not yet solid. The General Elections Bill will be brought to the Constitutional Court to be tested for its constitutionality, especially regarding the 20-25 percent presidential nomination threshold.
Previously, in 2014 the Constitutional Court decided that the 2019 general elections had to be held simultaneously. The implementation of the presidential elections, DPR elections, Regional Representatives Council (DPD) elections and Provincial and City Legislative Council (DPRD) elections will be held on the same day. As a result of the Constitutional Court\'s verdict, there appears to be an interpretation that the simultaneous elections have to be held without the presidential nomination threshold. In this interpretation, all political parties participating in the elections have the right to nominate who will be proposed as their presidential and vice presidential candidates.
However, those who support the 20-25 percent threshold argue that the simultaneous elections remain adhered to the threshold. To what extent is the threshold included in the open legal policy, an agreement between the government and the House of Representatives? Political realities show that a threshold of 20-25 percent became the requirement set by the law.
Let the Constitutional Court examine the constitutionality of the threshold of presidential candidacy. The court has to make this case a priority because the results will be awaited by the public and the General Elections Commission (KPU) as the organizer of the elections. Do not let the court make a decision like that made on campaign leave, which was decided after the regional elections in Jakarta ended. The court must also consider whatever its verdict is. The court\'s verdict should not hamper the 2019 general elections process. With the verdict, everything should be considered.
