Crucial Impact: Extension of Term of Office and Accountability of Regional Officials

This is the most controversial impact of the Constitutional Court's decision. Because the Regional Elections will only be held in 2031, the term of office of regional heads and regional legislative members elected in the 2024 Elections will automatically beextended until 2031. Extending the term of office without re-election raises serious problems for political accountability:
  • Performance Evaluation Lost: Elections are the main means for the people to evaluate the performance of officials. With this extension, voters lose their right to evaluate them in the 2027/2029 period.
  • Potential for Decreased Accountability: Regional officials whose terms are extended may feel less obligated to be accountable to the people for their performance, as they will not face elections in the near future.
  • Decreased Legitimacy: The political legitimacy of an official comes from elections. Extending the term of office has the potential to reduce the legitimacy of officials in the eyes of the public, because they hold office not purely from the normal electoral cycle.
en: Constitutional Court building, related to the implications of decision 135/PUU-XXII/2024 on elections.

Other Impacts on the Election System and Quality of Democracy

In addition to the issue of accountability, this separation of elections also has other impacts on the quality of democracy:
  • Positive (Voter Focus): Voters can focus more. During the 2029 National Elections, they focus on national issues. During the 2031 Regional Elections, they can delve deeper into the track record of candidates for regent/governor and local DPRD.
  • Negative (Potential Decrease in Participation): There is a significant risk that the Regional Elections in 2031 will be considered less important (second-order election). Voters may be more enthusiastic about the National Elections and tend to ignore the Regional Elections, which could lower participation rates and the quality of local democracy.
  • More Focused Supervision: From a transparency perspective, Bawaslu and election supervisors can focus more on supervising each stage. The burden of supervision, which is no longer simultaneous, is expected to detect and handle fraud better.