This Presidential Threshold is Considered Burdensome for Small Parties

To nominate a presidential and vice-presidential candidate (presidential/vice-presidential candidate) in the General Election, political parties must obtain a certain vote threshold or parliamentary seat quota (presidential threshold).

The threshold for nominating presidential/vice-presidential candidates for the 2024 General Election has been stipulated in Article 222 of Law No. 7 of 2017 concerning the General Election, which reads as follows:

"Candidate pairs are nominated by a Political Party or a Coalition of Participating Political Parties that meet the requirements of obtaining at least 20% (twenty percent) of the total number of DPR seats or obtaining 25% (twenty-five percent) of the national valid votes in the previous DPR general election."

This means that every political party or coalition of political parties intending to nominate a presidential/vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election must fulfill one of the above-mentioned requirements. They must achieve a minimum of 25% of the national valid votes or a minimum of 20% of the total seats in the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI).

Many parties have filed judicial reviews against Article 222 of the General Election Law. However, until the commencement of the 2024 General Election stages, the Constitutional Court has consistently rejected the material review of the article.

This regulation regarding the presidential threshold is often considered burdensome for smaller or new parties in nominating presidential/vice-presidential candidates, as their voter base from previous elections is generally low and makes it difficult to meet the stipulated threshold.