Talking About The Presence Or Absence Of A Presidential Threshold, Mahfud MD: It Is Left To The Legislators

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menko Polhukam) Mahfud MD said that determining whether or not there is a presidential threshold is the authority of the legislators or DPR RI.

"The Constitutional Court (MK) has repeatedly decided that whether or not there is a threshold for the presidential election is the right of the legislators to put it into law," Mahfud told reporters, Thursday, December 16.

He then explained that this rule was in the form of an opened legal policy (OPL) in which the legislature has the authority to regulate it. This, continued Mahfud, is also regulated in Article 6 of the 1945 Constitution and Article 6A in which the requirements to become president and deputy as well as the method of election are regulated by and in the law.

"Based on that, the question of whether or not there is a threshold and the amount is regulated by the legislators," said the former Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court.

Furthermore, Mahfud also spoke about the presidential threshold lawsuit to the Constitutional Court (MK) by the former TNI Commander Gatot Nurmantyo and a number of other figures.

For information, the rules related to the nomination threshold are often challenged in the Constitutional Court. This lawsuit asks that the threshold be 0 percent from 20 percent. Most recently, the lawsuit was submitted by Gatot Nurmantyo. The goal is that voters can get the best candidates and political polarization will no longer occur like the 2019 presidential election.

Returning to Mahfud, according to him, the lawsuit is permissible and will not be in vain. However, the best decision will of course be taken by the Court.

"The Constitutional Court has several times handled it (the presidential thresold lawsuit, ed) which was submitted by Effendi Ghazali, Denny Indrayana, and others," said Mahfud.

"It's not in vain either. That the Court wants to decide what it is, it's up to you," he concluded.