Bappenas: Election Law Must Ensure Innovative, Efficient, Aspirational, and Integrity-Based Election

The 2025-2045 National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN) emphasizes building a substantive democracy that reflects the people's interests. Nuzula Anggeraini, Director of Politics and Communications at the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, highlighted the importance of an innovative, credible, aspirational, and efficient electoral system to achieve a substantive democracy.

“Substantive democracy will be implemented through policy directions that include strengthening democratic institutions by improving the quality of election management through codification of laws on elections and the election of governors, regents, and mayors, as well as ensuring accountability from political parties through revisions to the Political Party Law,” Director Raini stated during a National Seminar titled “Creating an Innovative, Credible, Aspirational, and Efficient Electoral System to Achieve Substantive Democracy” at the Bappenas Building, Jakarta, Wednesday (20/11).

Indonesia's election management faces various challenges, including system complexity, suboptimal resources, and increasing public expectations for democratic processes. To address these, Bappenas has engaged with academics, electoral practitioners, policymakers, and representatives from government and civil society to develop recommendations for codifying electoral and regional election regulations into a single comprehensive law. A well-structured, consistent, and coherent codification is expected to foster electoral competition that produces competent and integrity-driven public officials, thereby strengthening governance.

The National Seminar also recommended exploring the adoption of a mixed electoral system with a parallel variant. This mixed system seeks to combine the positive attributes of proportional representation and plurality/majority systems to enhance election outcomes.

To accommodate various stakeholder suggestions supporting a unified Election Law, the proposed Election Law (RUU Pemilu) must be prioritized in the 2025 National Legislative Program (Prolegnas).

“It is expected that by mid-2026, the Election Bill will be passed into law. This timeline allows for more optimal preparations for the 2029 National Simultaneous Elections by all stakeholders, especially the government, election organizers, and participants,” Director Raini concluded.