The electoral system and political party simplification as a strategy to strengthen presidentialism in Indonesia

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the electoral system and the simplification of political parties as a strategy to strengthen the presidential system in Indonesia. Since the 1999 election until the 2024 election, the application of an open proportional system with a relatively low parliamentary threshold has produced a fragmented parliament in which no single political party has obtained a majority of seats. This condition has forced presidents to form large coalitions that are often pragmatic and politically costly, thereby potentially undermining the effectiveness of governance. Using normative legal research and electoral data from the last two decades, this study identifies that party simplification through increasing the parliamentary threshold, restructuring electoral districts, and strengthening party regulations is a solution to create a simpler, more effective, and more stable party system. With an ideal parliamentary threshold in the range of 8 to 10 percent, the number of parties in parliament could be reduced to five or six, thereby enabling the presidential government to operate more efficiently and stably while maintaining the principle of representation. These findings are expected to contribute to the formulation of electoral reform policies aimed at strengthening presidentialism and the quality of democracy in Indonesia.