Non-Parliamentary Political Parties Reject Five Percent Parliamentary Threshold

2026-09-18

A number of political parties that currently do not hold seats in parliament have expressed their firm rejection of the five percent parliamentary threshold rule. They argue that this rule hinders democracy and creates injustice for new or smaller parties within Indonesia's electoral system.

The leaders of these parties are urging for the parliamentary threshold rule to be abolished entirely. According to them, every vote cast by the people for a political party should be respected and represented in the House of Representatives (DPR), without being obstructed by high national vote percentage requirements.

As an alternative, if the government and the DPR insist on implementing the rule, they propose that the threshold be lowered significantly. They suggest a much lower figure, namely just one percent, to make political competition more inclusive and to provide equal opportunities for all parties to contribute in parliament.

This issue has become a heated debate because it is directly related to political representation at the national level. Many parties believe that a threshold that is too high can limit the public's choices and render voters' voices futile if the party they choose does not reach the specified percentage target.

Currently, discussions regarding the revision of electoral rules continue at the legislative level. The decision regarding this parliamentary threshold will greatly determine the face of Indonesian politics in the future and how the people's voices are translated into state policy.