The Advantage of Holding Elections Separately, According to Indonesian Citizens

In Decision Number 135/PUU-XXII/2024, the Constitutional Court (MK) stated that future Indonesian general elections will be held in two stages.

First, simultaneous elections at the national level to elect members of the House of Representatives (DPR), Regional Representatives Council (DPD), and the president and vice president.

Then, there will be a 2 to 2.5 year gap before simultaneous elections at the provincial and district/city levels to elect members of the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD), governors, and regents/mayors.

According to a survey by Litbang Kompas, 70.3% of respondents agreed that separate elections should be held.

Similarly, 41.7% of respondents believed that separating elections would reduce public confusion, as they would not have to choose multiple candidates simultaneously.

"One of the advantages of separating national and local elections is that voters no longer face technical challenges when making their choices, especially in legislative elections," Litbang Kompas stated in its report on Monday (August 4, 2025).

Some respondents also felt that separating elections made oversight easier (16.5%), and more focused and orderly (16.5%).

Meanwhile, only 0.9% of respondents believed there were no benefits from this separation.

"Public support for the Constitutional Court's decision to separate national and local elections reflects the public's hope for improved election quality, which ultimately boosts the quality of democracy," said Kompas Research and Development.

This survey involved 512 respondents from 64 cities in 38 provinces, randomly selected according to the population proportion of each province.

Data collection was conducted from July 14-17, 2025, via telephone interviews. The survey's margin of error is approximately 4.25% and its confidence level is 95%, under simple random sampling conditions.