The Constitutional Court's Decision To Separate National And Regional Elections Is Not A Root Of Problems

The decision of the Constitutional Court (MK) to separate the timing of the national and regional elections (elections) is considered not to answer the basic issues in the Indonesian electoral system.

The decision to separate the implementation of national and regional elections is contained in Decision Number 135/PUU-XXII/2025.

The decision stated that starting in 2029 the constitutional simultaneous elections will separate the implementation of elections in the national and local levels starting in 2029.

This change also ends the simultaneous election practices that have been in effect since 2019, when residents have to vote on five ballots in one day to elect the president, members of the DPR, DPD, and provincial and district/city DPRDs.

With the Constitutional Court's decision, the national election will only include the presidential and vice presidential elections, members of the DPR, and members of the DPD.

Meanwhile, the election for provincial and district/city DPRD members will be held in conjunction with the regional head elections (pilkada) no later than two years and six months after the inauguration of the president and members of the DPR/DPD.

Political observers and policies from Universitas Brawijaya (UB) Andhyka Muttaqin assessed that the Constitutional Court's decision could improve the quality of democracy in the regions.

With the election separated, local issues according to Andhyka will not be closed by national issues as often occurs in simultaneous elections. Candidates or candidates for regional heads can be more encouraged to raise local agendas and no longer ride national issues as a means of seeking votes.

That way, the impact can be felt on improving the quality of local democracy.

"This can strengthen the principle of decentralization and regional autonomy in the Indonesian democratic system," said Andhyka.

When local issues became the main discussion in the preparation of the vision and mission of each pair of candidates for regional heads, Andhyka assessed that many rational voters would be born who looked more at the track record and candidate programs.

"This is possible because voters are more focused on understanding candidates and programs in each type of election," he said.

In addition, the Constitutional Court's decision is also believed to provide wider space for political parties to carry out regeneration separately, namely between cadres for national and regional contestation.

"The separation can reduce the dominance of the coattail effect or the effect of the tail of the tail of the presidential election on the regional elections," said Andhyka.

The separation of legislative and regional elections starting in 2029 is also considered to provide fresh air for election organizers in the field, especially officers of the Voting Organizing Group (KPPS), according to political observer Diponegoro University Nur Hudayat Sardini.

He remembered how the 2019 Election presented unpleasant news when nearly 800 election officers died due to work fatigue. The incident, said Sardini, became clear evidence that holding simultaneous elections at one time caused a very heavy workload.

And, although the number of victims decreased in the 2024 General Election, Sardini assessed that the pressure on the bodies remained large.

With the Constitutional Court's decision that allows a pause between national elections and election elections, the work pressure will be reduced while at the same time providing better concentration space for officers.

Even so, according to Sardini, the separation of national and regional elections has not answered the basic problems in the Indonesian electoral system.

Problems such as money politics, political dynasties, and electoral corruption have not been touched in the decision.

"The Constitutional Court's decision has not yet touched the root of our election disease, such as money politics and oligarchic domination which undermines the integrity of democracy," he said.

For this reason, Sardini hopes that the establishment of more progressive laws is needed to regulate crucial matters such as the involvement of law enforcement officers in elections, as well as strengthening the check and balance system between state institutions.

"We need a law that can strengthen the purity of the people's voice and protect elections from intimidation and politicization of social assistance," he concluded.