Happy Presidential Threshold Removed, Labor Party Calls Democracy Healthy

JAKARTA - The decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) to abolish the presidential and vice presidential nomination threshold or Presidential Threshold by 20 percent was welcomed by the Labor Party. The President of the Labor Party, Said Iqbal, said that the Constitutional Court's decision to make democracy in Indonesia healthy.

"The Labor Party appreciates and thanks the seven judges of the Constitutional Court, because they have two dissenting opinions, right. We thank you. Democracy is healthy again, democracy is back to the people," Said Iqbal told reporters, Thursday, January 2.

"Because previously the Constitutional Court had also decided on the Labor Party's lawsuit to revise the election. Democracy has also become healthy against empty boxes," he continued.

The Labor Party also appreciates the Constitutional Court for ordering changes to the parliamentary threshold or the Parliamentary Threshold to be below 4 percent starting in 2029. According to Said, the Constitutional Court's decision brought fresh air to political parties who wanted to enter Senayan and nominate their own president.

"Those under 4 percent, we thank the Constitutional Court. Democracy is healthy. Democracy returns to the people. Sovereignty returns to the people. For non-parlementary parties, this is fresh blood. Including the Labor Party. For what reason? According to research by several survey institutions, political parties that propose their own presidential candidates, they will boost the votes of political parties," he said.

"We take for example the 2024 election, the PKS, NasDem, and PKB phenomena whose votes support Anies, immediately go up, right? So who is the political party that supports the presidential candidate, especially from the candidate himself boosts, as long as the presidential and vice presidential candidates, according to the survey, the electability is good," added Said.

With the Constitutional Court's decision, according to Said, the Labor Party has the opportunity to walk to Senayan as well as nominate presidential and vice presidential candidates without forming a coalition with other political parties. He also believes that the electability of the Labor Party will be controlled by the impact of the Constitutional Court's decision.

"There are many presidential candidates. Actually, if we use the size of the 2024 General Election, there are 18 political parties participating in the election. Thus the people can vote for 18 presidential and vice presidential candidates, 18 people are not 2:2. So that tensions in the community will decrease. After all, the second round will still be 2 people, 2 people too," he said.

In this 2026 Congress, Said Iqbal said, the Labor Party will immediately decide who the presidential candidate will be supported by his party in the 2029 presidential election.

"We are already firm, we are confident to advance candidates, right? So 2026 we will already propose candidates. It can be internal, can be combined from outside or from within. But 2026 will approve presidential candidates. It will be announced at the Labor Party congress," said Said Iqbal.