Reconstruction of Presidential Candidacy Following the Abolition of the Presidential Threshold (PT) under Law No. 7 of 2017: A Normative Analysis Based on Constitutional Democracy
Keywords:
Constitutional Democracy, Presidential Candidacy, Presidential Threshold, Constitutional Court, Political Equality, Electoral Law, Legal ReconstructionAbstract
The abolition of the presidential threshold through Constitutional Court Decision No. 62/PUU-XXII/2024 has fundamentally altered the legal framework governing presidential and vice-presidential nominations in Indonesia. This study examines the normative problems embedded in the previous nomination system and formulates a legal reconstruction that is more consistent with the principles of constitutional democracy. The research employs normative legal research using statutory, conceptual, historical, and comparative approaches. Primary legal materials include the 1945 Constitution, Law No. 7 of 2017 on General Elections, and relevant Constitutional Court decisions, while secondary materials consist of legal scholarship and academic literature on constitutional democracy, political rights, and presidential systems. The findings show that the former presidential threshold created several normative tensions, particularly regarding political equality, popular sovereignty, electoral openness, the use of previous legislative election results, and the logic of simultaneous elections. Although the abolition of the threshold broadens access to presidential nomination, it also creates a need for a clearer and more coherent post-threshold regulatory framework. This study proposes an open nomination model that provides equal nomination opportunities for political parties participating in elections, supported by objective administrative requirements, transparent verification procedures, legal certainty, and non-restrictive mechanisms for maintaining presidential governability. The study concludes that post-threshold reform should not merely remove the previous numerical requirement but should reconstruct the broader architecture of presidential nomination in a manner that balances democratic openness, political equality, proportionality, and institutional effectiveness.
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