PKB Chairman Wants Presidential Threshold To Be Lowered To 5 Percent

Head of PKB Muhaimin Iskandar/DOK Personal Instagram

JAKARTA - Chairman of the National Awakening Party (PKB) Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar also responded to the proposed threshold for presidential candidacy or a presidential threshold of zero percent.

Muhaimin admitted that the presidential threshold of 20 percent as stated in Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections (Pemilu) was indeed too high.

He suggested that the 20 percent threshold should be lowered in order to provide more space for competition in democracy in Indonesia.

Muhaimin alias Cak Imin suggested that the presidential threshold could be lowered to a range of 5 to 10 percent.

“(Presidential threshold of 20 percent, ed) is still not our goal, our goal is 5-10 percent. In order to give more space for expression and competition, everyone has the same rights," said Muhaimin at the DPR building, Wednesday, December 15.

However, regarding the discourse on the zero percent electoral threshold for presidential candidacy, the deputy chairman of the DPR does not fully agree. Because Cak Imin considered that the threshold was still needed because the votes and electoral votes of each party were different.

"Ideally it's zero percent, but it's not funny, there must be restrictions. But it's possible to fail (zero percent, ed) because there are restrictions. Yes, maybe in the upcoming elections," said Cak Imin.

As is known, the presidential nomination threshold is regulated in Article 222 of Law Number 7 of 2017 concerning General Elections.

The article states that the pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates are proposed by political parties or coalitions of political parties participating in the general election who meet the requirements for obtaining seats of at least 20 percent of the total seats in the DPR or obtaining 25 percent of the nationally valid votes in the previous election for members of the DPR.