Coordinating Minister Yusril: The Constitutional Court's Decision Consequents To Extend The Term Of Office Of The DPRD

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, Human Rights and Immigration Affairs (Menko Kumham Imipas) Yusril Ihza Mahendra assessed that the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) regarding the implementation of general elections (elections) had consequences for extending the term of office of members of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD).

The Constitutional Court decided that local elections would elect members of the DPRD and heads/deputies of regional heads to be held for two years or two years and six months since the national election was completed.

The deadline for the completion of the national election was marked during the inauguration of members of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representative Council (DPD), and the elected president/vice president.

"This is a big problem because Article 22 E of the 1945 Constitution emphasizes that members of the DPRD are elected by the people once every five years. If it is extended by two to 2.5 years, what do we extend it with? Because it collides with the law," said Yusril as quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 2.

Yusril believes that the formation of the internal government team after the Constitutional Court's decision Number 135 is very important because the implications of the decision are very basic and the impact is very broad.

He revealed that the Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian would first discuss with the Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs (Polkam) Budi Gunawan with him regarding the decision.

According to him, the government must have one view, so that the ministers and related institutions must share perceptions.

"Everything will be reported to the President later," he said.

The Coordinating Minister said that the public had only participated in simultaneous elections once, which was also decided by the Constitutional Court. But this time with the Constitutional Court's decision, the people must also participate in separate elections between the center and the regions with a two-year gap of up to two years and six months.

For political parties (political parties), he said, it was also not easy, especially in selecting cadres for the election of the central legislature and regional legislative elections, which of course would cost a lot of money and take time to prepare for the two types of elections.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that the Constitutional Court's decision was final and binding (binding), so the Government and the DPR had to implement it.

"Starting from updating the Election Law and implementing regulations to providing budgets and implementing the election itself," said the Coordinating Minister.

The Constitutional Court, in one of its legal considerations, stated that the implementation that is close between national and regional elections makes political parties easy to get caught up in pragmatism.

Constitutional Justice Arief Hidayat during the trial for the pronunciation of Decision Number 135/PUU-XXII/2024 on Thursday (26/6), said the trend occurred because political parties did not have enough time to prepare their cadres to compete at every election level.

In this case, political parties in instantaneous time are considered to have to prepare thousands of cadres to be able to compete and compete at all electoral levels, starting from the election of members of the DPR, members of the DPD, president/vice president, and members of the Provincial/Regency/City DPRD to the election of governor/deputy governor, regent/deputy regent, and mayor/deputy mayor at the same time.

"As a result, political parties are easily trapped in pragmatism rather than wanting to maintain idealism and ideology," said the Constitutional Justice.