Gerindra Claims Parties Back 5 Pct Parliamentary Threshold - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Secretary General of the Gerindra Party Sugiono claims that his party and coalition partners have unanimously agreed on a proposed parliamentary threshold of 5 percent to be discussed in the revision of the General Election Law.
He believes public votes must be carefully weighed during elections. Sugiono stated that Gerindra views the upcoming electoral arena as needing to be more effective and efficient, making it necessary to regulate thresholds so citizens' votes are not wasted.
"In the future, it can be accommodated as optimally as possible," he said at the DPR Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
Sugiono also mentioned that several political parties agreeing on the 5 percent threshold include the Golkar Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). "I think that's what we agreed on," said the Foreign Minister.
Secretary General of the Golkar Party Muhammad Sarmuji stated that his party, led by Bahlil Lahadalia, agreed with PKS to propose a 5 percent parliamentary threshold in the Election Law revision. According to Sarmuji, the agreement was reached during a meeting between leaders of both parties at the Golkar Central Executive Board office in Jakarta on Monday, September 14, 2026.
"During the meeting with PKS, we agreed that the parliamentary threshold should be moderate, around 5 percent," Sarmuji said in a brief message on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
Sarmuji explained that the 5 percent proposal serves as a middle ground to streamline the multi-party system in the House of Representatives while preventing wasted votes. He believes the multi-party system should be encouraged toward greater simplicity, keeping the number of parliamentary parties manageable.
However, he added that the threshold should not be set excessively high, ensuring ideological diversity in society remains reflected within the party system. "That's why a percentage of around 5 percent is very rational from both perspectives," Sarmuji said.
PKS President Al Muzammil Yusuf did not deny that his party is pushing for a 5 percent parliamentary threshold in the Election Bill. As for the next steps, he deferred to the designated parliamentary bodies handling the bill. "This discussion will be taken up in the Legislative Body or DPR Commission II, with all its dynamics left to the DPR," Al Muzammil said when contacted on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
The size of the parliamentary threshold remains a key point of discussion among parties in the House of Representatives working on the Election Bill. Currently, parties have yet to reach a full consensus due to differing proposals. The Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN) previously advocated lowering the threshold to 0 percent, while the NasDem Party pushed to raise it to 7 percent.
Chairperson of the Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Ganjar Pranowo stated that the parliamentary threshold requires formal deliberation alongside other key issues in the Election Bill.
According to him, discussions on the Election Bill should not be delayed to avoid rushed legislative drafting ahead of the upcoming elections. "Also, so that the goal of a simplified multi-party system can be agreed upon by various parties," he said on Wednesday, September 16, 2026.
He added that discussions on the threshold in the Election Bill must account for new political parties entering future elections. "So that they are granted at least five years of consolidation before participating in elections," he said.
Read: Bahlil, Suahasil Meet Prabowo at Palace: What's on the Agenda?
