Surya Paloh Responds to Proposal Requiring Minimum Two Faction Endorsements for Presidential Candidacy

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Chairman of the Nasdem Party, Surya Paloh, acknowledged hearing about a new discussion regarding the presidential nomination mechanism following the Constitutional Court’s (MK) decision to abolish the 20 percent presidential threshold.

The proposal dictates that backing a presidential and vice-presidential candidate must come from at least two parliamentary factions holding seats in the DPR.

"I have heard clear suggestions that the shift in the model of presidential support would require endorsement from at least two factions," Surya Paloh said when met at Nasdem Tower, Jakarta, on Saturday (19/9/2026).

According to Paloh, this idea is positive and worth considering because it would still ensure significant vote support as long as the parliamentary threshold is set high.

"In my opinion, it’s good. It’s essentially the same, if you have two factions and the parliamentary threshold is high, their combined votes would also be high," Paloh added.

Constitutional Court Decision Abolishes 20 Percent Presidential Threshold

It is known that the MK, through Decision Number 62/PUU-XXII/2024, eliminated the presidential threshold, which was previously set at 20 percent.

The abolishment of this 20 percent presidential threshold aims to guarantee equal political rights and sovereignty of the people for all political parties participating in elections.

In its legal considerations, the MK observed that several presidential elections had been dominated by certain political parties in proposing presidential and vice-presidential pairs.

ANTARA FOTO/Galih Pradipta Chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU) Hasyim Asy

This condition was assessed to limit voters’ constitutional rights to adequate alternatives regarding presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

Furthermore, the MK also noted a tendency to always pursue only two candidate pairs in each presidential election.

This situation potentially traps society in polarization which, if not anticipated, could threaten Indonesia's diversity.

Therefore, the MK concluded that Article 222 of the Election Law, which regulates the presidential threshold, contravenes political rights, the sovereignty of the people, morality, rationality, and the 1945 Constitution.