The Interrelationship Between the Presidential Threshold and the Parliamentary Threshold in Indonesia’s Electoral System: Weighing the Balance Between Governmental Stability and Democratic Representation
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study examines the interrelationship between the Presidential Threshold (PT) and the Parliamentary Threshold (ParT) within Indonesia's electoral system under Law Number 7 of 2017 on General Elections. Unlike previous studies that predominantly analyse these threshold mechanisms separately, this research investigates their interaction as an integrated institutional design. It evaluates their combined impact on the simplification of the political party system, democratic representation, and governmental stability. Employing a normative legal approach grounded in library research, the study analyses constitutional provisions, statutory regulations, judicial decisions, academic literature, and Sinta-indexed legal journals to assess the legal and political consequences of Indonesia's dual-threshold framework. The findings demonstrate that the interaction between PT and ParT has significantly influenced party coalition formation, presidential nomination, legislative representation, and the overall competitiveness of elections. While the dual-threshold mechanism helps reduce excessive party fragmentation and strengthen the effectiveness of the presidential system, it also limits political inclusiveness by restricting the participation of smaller parties and reducing the number of electoral alternatives available to voters. Consequently, political decision-making becomes concentrated among larger political parties, potentially affecting legislative representation, policy formulation, and the constitutional principle of equal political participation. The study further argues that Indonesia's electoral system cannot achieve effectiveness through threshold mechanisms alone but requires a comprehensive institutional design that balances party system simplification with democratic inclusiveness. It concludes that the current dual-threshold arrangement should be periodically re-evaluated to ensure proportionality between governmental stability, constitutional democracy, and fair political representation in accordance with the principles of Indonesia's constitutional order
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Adiwira, O. Y. (2020). Implikasi Parliamentary Threshold Terhadap Sistem Kepartaian Di Indonesia. Sol Justicia, 3(2), 227–248.
Anantadjaya, S. P. D. (2020). The political reality and democracy of regional business in covid-19 situation. European Journal of Molecular and Clinical Medicine.
Andrianto, F. (2020). Kepastian hukum dalam politik hukum di Indonesia. Administrative Law and Governance Journal, 3(1), 114–123.
Angela, D., & Novrizal, M. (2025). Comparative Approaches to Parliamentary Thresholds in Selected Countries: Lesson Learn for Indonesia. Padjadjaran Jurnal Ilmu Hukum (Journal of Law), 12(2), 7.
Ardipandanto, A. (2021). Perjalanan Bangsa Indonesia Menuju Demokrasi: Pemilu dan Kepartaian. Pusat Penelitian Badan Keahlian DPR RI.
Arifin, F., Maarif, I., Bunyamin, B., Bahri, R. A., & Murbani, A. W. (2025). Reforming Indonesia’s Electoral System: Legal and Policy Considerations. Jambe Law Journal, 8(1), 61–99.
Armia, M. S. (2017). PENGHAPUSAN PRESIDENTIAL THRESHOLD SEBAGAI UPAYA PEMULIHAN HAK-HAK KONSTITUTIONAL. Petita: Jurnal Kajian Ilmu Hukum Dan Syariah, 1(2), 134–140.
Aspinall, E. (2011). Democratization and ethnic politics in Indonesia: Nine theses. Journal of East Asian Studies, 11(2), 289–319.
Barqi, S. Y., Al Arif, M. Y., & Irwantoni, I. (2024). Reforming the Parliamentary Threshold in Indonesia’s General Elections: A Legal and Fiqh Siyasah Dusturiyah Perspective. As-Siyasi: Journal of Constitutional Law, 4(2), 112–135.
Basista, R. (2025). A Never-Ending Story? The Electoral Reform Process in Indonesia. Open Access Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington.
Fauziah, A., & Esfandiari, F. (2024). Political Party Deliberation: Mechanism for Safeguarding Constituent Rights against Vacancies in House of Representatives Affected by Political Party Dissolution. JalRev: Jambura Law Review, 6(2), 452–481.
Hanan, D. (2016). Memperkuat Presidensialisme Multipartai di Indonesia: Pemilu Serentak, Sistem Pemilu, dan Sistem Kepartaian. Jurnal Universitas Paramadina, 13(1).
Hapsari, Y. D. P., & Saraswati, R. (2023). Dampak Pelaksanaan Presidential Threshold pada Pemilu Serentak terhadap Demokrasi di Indonesia. Jurnal Pembangunan Hukum Indonesia, 5(1), 70–84.
Jerzyk, M. (2025). The Role of Political Memes in Strengthening Democracy: Bridging Citizenship and Popular Culture. Masarykova univerzita, Fakulta sociálních studií.
Kholis, N. (2020). Parliamentary Threshold and Political Rights Limitation. Journal of Law and Legal Reform, 1(3), 445–456.
Mahfud, M. D. (2009). Capaian dan proyeksi kondisi hukum Indonesia. Jurnal Hukum Ius Quia Iustum, 16(3), 291–310.
Marzuki, P. M. (2016). Penelitian Hukum, Edisi Revisi, Cetakan Ke-12. Jakarta: Kencana, 133–136.
Mas’udah, A. (2020). The presidential threshold as an open legal policy in general elections in Indonesia. Prophetic Law Review, 37–58.
Mietzner, M. (2009). Political opinion polling in post-authoritarian Indonesia: Catalyst or obstacle to democratic consolidation? Bijdragen Tot de Taal-, Land-En Volkenkunde/Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia, 165(1), 95–126.
Perdana, A., & Imam, M. (2023). Judisialisasi politik dalam putusan MK terkait batas usia cawapres dalam pilpres 2024. Jurnal Bawaslu DKI, 8(3), 69–92.
Prasetio, R. B., & Sianipar, F. (2021). The relevance of the application of the presidential threshold and the implementation of simultaneous elections in Indonesia. Jurnal Penelitian Hukum De Jure, 21(2), 267.
PRASETYONINGSIH, N. (n.d.). The Effectiveness of Interparty Coalition-Building in Presidential Democracy.
Rannie, M., Saraswati, R., & Wisnaeni, F. (2024). Does the Reform of the Parliamentary and Presidential Threshold Strengthen the Presidential System in Indonesia? Sriwijaya Law Review, 8(1), 133.
Rantau, M. I. (1907). Penguatan Sistem Presidensial Di Indonesia: Analisis Terhadap Undang Undang No 7 Tahun 2017 Tentang Pemilihan Umum. Jurnal Penelitian Dan Karya Ilmiah P-ISSN, 5693, 613–2549.
Sebastian, L. C., Chen, J., & Priamarizki, A. (2014). Indonesia beyond Reformasi: Necessity and the “de-centering” of democracy. Maryland Series in Contemporary Asian Studies, 2014(3), 1.
Siboy, A., & Al-Fatih, S. (2025). Indonesian Presidential Election on Presidential Threshold Policy: Evidence from Various Countries. Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 5(3), 949–981.
Sirait, S. Y., Hartiwiningsih, H., & Hidayat, A. (2024). Judicial Activism in the Practice of Law Examination on Parliamentary Threshold in the Constitutional Court. International Conference on Cultural Policy and Sustainable Development (ICPSD 2024), 511–516.
Sudarmanto, K., Arifin, Z., Kusudarmanto, A. M. R. A., & Jain, V. (2025). Electoral Law Reform from the Perspective of Responsive Justice: A Comparison of Indonesia, India, and Australia. Jambe Law Journal, 8(1), 315–346.
Sumodiningrat, A. (2021). Meninjau Ulang Ketentuan Presidential Threshold dalam Pemilihan Presiden dan Wakil Presiden di Indonesia. Jurnal Kajian Pembaruan Hukum, 1(1), 49–74.
Ulum, M. B. (2020). Indonesian democracy and political parties after twenty years of reformation: A contextual analysis. Indonesia Law Review, 10(1), 3.
Wahdini, M., Habibi, A., & Shaleh, M. N. (2025). Legal Products and Political Configuration in Post-Amendment Indonesia: Narratives, Actors, and the Influence of the Digital Society. Contemporary Society and Politics Journal, 4(1), 36–51.
Zanibar, Z. Z. (2018). The Indonesian Constitutional System in the Post Amendement of the 1945 Constitution. Sriwijaya Law Review, 45–55.