More Votes Not Represented

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

The logos of political parties are displayed at the General Elections Commission (KPU) office, Jakarta, Wednesday (22/1/2020).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The simplification of political parties in the House of Representatives (DPR) by raising the legislative threshold carries the risk of lost votes or unrepresented voices in the DPR, as was the case in the 2019 general election. This simplification is seen as more effective through the reduced allocation of legislative seats in each constituency.

In a virtual discussion entitled “Whither is the Elections Bill bound for?” held by the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) on Sunday (7/6/2020), Deputy Director of Perludem Khoirunnisa Nur Agustyati cautioned that the increase in legislative threshold to 7 percent had the potential of resulting in lost votes or unrepresented voices in the DPR.