JAKARTA. The Golkar Party supports an increase in the electoral threshold to 7 to 10% from the current 3,5%, a party lawmaker says.
“A higher would strengthen our democratic system and simplify political decision-making," Tantowi Yahya said in Jakarta on Friday.
Previously, NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh proposed an increase in the threshold to 7%.
"If the electoral threshold was 7%, hopefully only the most popular parties would be eligible to run in the next election. This carries a consequence, but for a greater good, why must we be afraid?" Surya was quoted as saying on July 20 on the party's website.
According to Law No. 8/2012 on elections, the electoral threshold, the minimum percentage of the vote required to get seats in the House of Representatives, is at 3,5%.
Golkar tried to push up the threshold to 7 to 10% in the revision of the law, but the Democratic Party, which was the largest party at that time, rejected the proposal.
In the 2009 election, the Democrats gained 20,85% of the vote, which made it the leading party. The Golkar Party followed in second position with 14,45% of the vote, while then-opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle was at the third place with 14,03%.
The 2014 election, with a 3,5% threshold, resulted in 10 political parties with House seats. “With only four to five party factions at the House, the decision-making would be easier,” Tantowi said. (Erika Anindita Dewi)
