Failure to Meet Parliamentary Threshold: PBB's Vote Count Since 2009

Indonesia implemented a parliamentary threshold system for legislative elections starting in 2009. This requires political parties to meet a minimum vote threshold to gain parliamentary representation in both the House of Representatives (DPR RI) and the Regional Representative Council (DPRD).

The parliamentary threshold for the 2009 legislative election was set at 2.5% of the total valid national votes. This threshold was then raised to 3.5% for the 2014 election and further increased to 4% for the 2019 election.

This parliamentary threshold has been widely opposed by new and smaller parties. The regulation is considered to stifle the ability of parties with smaller voter bases to participate in parliament.

The Bulan Bintang Party (PBB) is one example of a party with low vote counts that failed to meet the parliamentary threshold. In three consecutive elections (2009-2019), this party, founded by Yuzril Ihza Mahendra, failed to secure seats in the DPR RI because its vote share remained below the required threshold.

In the 2009 election, PBB received only 1.79% of the total national valid votes, below the 2.5% threshold. Similarly, in the 2014 and 2019 elections, PBB's vote share consistently fell below the parliamentary threshold, as shown in the graph. Consequently, PBB had no representatives in the DPR RI from 2009 to 2019.

Previously, PBB had secured 13 seats in the DPR RI in the 1999 election, despite only achieving 1.94% of the national valid votes. Similarly, in the 2004 election, PBB won 14 seats in the DPR RI with only 2.62% of the vote.