Formulating Kitab Hukum Pemilu (Book of Election Law) for Effective Presidential Government in Indonesia

An electoral system functions not only as a procedure and mechanism to convert votes into seats within legislative bodies. It also functions as a set of instruments for democratization of a political system. Post-Reformasi Indonesia has witnessed four democratically managed general elections and more than a thousand of local elections. It uses a proportional electoral system to elect members of the House of Representatives and at the provincial and district level. It adopts direct election for the executive at all levels. However, the current system is deeply flawed and the election law is revised every alternate election period to suit the shortsighted ambitions of political parties. Thus, the proportional representation, the timing of elections and a confused presidential system are having a negative impact on Indonesia's democratic development. The existing election law is lacking of the principles of electoral justice resulting in ineffective presidential government. This brief will describe the results of the flawed election system, its flaws and recommendations