Jakarta (MidLand) – Constitutional Democracy Initiative Chairman Kholil Pasaribu said that a single candidate in the regional elections (pilkada) cannot be allowed and is considered normal, so it will have to be improved in the future.
“Even if his presence is legal and constitutional, a single candidate is not the best way to respect popular sovereignty and build a healthy democracy,” Kholil said in a written statement received in Jakarta on Sunday.
He indicated three forms of improvements that needed to be made.
First, the Regional Electoral Law must contain provisions on the maximum percentage threshold of the number of votes for a party or a combination of parties.
According to him, the Constitutional Court decision No. 60/PUU-XXII/2024 which changed the regional electoral thresholds regulates only the minimum threshold of the percentage of votes obtained by a party or a combination of parties.
By setting a maximum threshold, it is hoped that the accumulation of many parties in a nominating coalition can be limited.
Second, there is a need to regulate sanctions for parties or coalitions of parties that meet the requirements to nominate pairs of candidates, but choose not to nominate them.
“This arrangement is the same as when pairs of candidates run for presidential elections,” Kholil said.
Third, he believes that it is necessary to reorganize the issues of political finance so that the political costs that must be borne by candidates, parties and party coalitions are more rational and can be accounted for.
Kholil admitted that the Constitutional Court’s decision to simplify regional electoral thresholds had an impact on reducing the number of individual candidates in this year’s simultaneous regional elections.
As of the end of the registration period for Pilkada 2024 candidates on August 29, there were 43 districts with unique candidates out of 545 districts or equivalent to 7.89%.
Meanwhile, if you look at the accumulation of simultaneous regional elections from 2017-2020, where the number of regions that held regional elections is the same as this year’s regional elections, the total number of individual candidates is 50, or the equivalent of 9.17%.
“This means that compared to the 2024 Pilkada, the number of regions with a single candidate has decreased by 1.28 percent,” he said.
Kholil said that this decrease is positive because the fewer regions have a single candidate, the better it is for society and the healthier it is for democracy.
“Because the constitutional rights of citizens to have many alternative candidates for their leaders are respected. “Because it is the local population who will suffer the impact of the election results for at least five years,” he said.
The Constitutional Court’s decision, Kholil added, affects the map of candidates for the head of the region. However, this influence has not been widespread in many areas.
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Reporter: Fatah Putra Mulya
Publisher: Budi Suyanto
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