Legal Literacy - The year 2026 will be a crucial phase in the dynamics of Indonesian electoral democracy, not because of elections, but because in this year the formation of laws must begin to revise the Election Law and the Regional Head Election Law (UU Pilkada). This obligation arises as a consequence of a number of decisions by the Constitutional Court (MK) which fundamentally changed the electoral system and rules. This urgency cannot be separated from the 2029 Election stage which is planned to start in June 2027. Thus, all political regulations must be completed no later than the first quarter of 2027. If the legislative process is late, rushed, or full of short-term political interests, then the quality of elections and the legitimacy of democracy have the potential to be eroded from the start.

Constitutional Court Decisions and Fundamental Changes to the Election System

One of the most impactful decisions of the Constitutional Court is Decision Number 62/PUU-XXII/2024 which eliminates the presidential nomination threshold or presidential threshold. So far, the requirement of 20 percent of DPR seats or 25 percent of the national valid votes has limited political parties in nominating presidential and vice presidential candidates. With the elimination of the threshold, all election participant parties now have equal constitutional rights to nominate candidate pairs.…