Proposal to Add KPU-Bawaslu Commissioners, Democrat Legislator: Await Working Committee Discussions on Election Law

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Deputy Chairman of Commission II of the House of Representatives from the Democratic Party faction, Dede Yusuf, urged the public to wait for the developments in the discussions of the Working Committee (Panja) on the Revision of the Election Law concerning the proposal to increase the number of commissioners for the General Election Commission (KPU) and the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu).

Dede emphasized that the House has not made any decisions on this proposal since the Panja discussions have not yet resumed.

"The working committee has not started yet. The discussions have not begun, so let's just wait for the dynamics of the discussions," Dede stated when contacted on Friday (23/10/2026).

He mentioned that all proposals would be collected for more in-depth discussions within the Panja for the Election Law.

Thus, the idea of adding KPU and Bawaslu commissioners has not yet become a final decision for the Panja of the House of Representatives.

“Anyone can propose. We will accommodate those proposals. They will be discussed thoroughly in the working committee. So, there is no decision yet at this moment,” Dede Yusuf said.

According to the official schedule prepared by the Panja for the Election Law, the next meeting is scheduled for Monday (2/10/2026).

The agenda includes a working meeting and a public hearing with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Honorary Council for Election Organizers (DKPP).

Previously, Commission II member from the Golkar Party faction, Ahmad Irawan, revealed discussions regarding the addition of KPU and Bawaslu commissioners through the revision of the Election Law.

This proposal arose from evaluations of the 2024 election administration, which was deemed to have high workloads due to being held simultaneously.

Irawan pointed out that the current number of KPU RI commissioners, which stands at seven, has the potential to increase to nine.

Meanwhile, the current five commissioners of Bawaslu RI are being considered for an increase to seven or nine.

"When we talk about the RI level, KPU RI and Bawaslu RI, there is an evaluation that the five Bawaslu RI commissioners are inadequate. Seven for KPU RI is also insufficient," Irawan said on Friday.

Irawan explained that this evaluation is one of the inputs taken into account by the House of Representatives' Knowledge Agency in drafting the academic manuscript of the Election Law.

According to him, increasing the number of commissioners is necessary to align with the needs of election administration, especially when several stages occur simultaneously.

Additionally, the House is also examining the possibility of adjusting the number of KPU and Bawaslu members at the regional level based on the workload of each area.

Irawan noted that considerations might include the number of voters, the area size, geographical conditions, and the scope of work.

Nevertheless, Irawan asserted that the proposed increase in the number of KPU and Bawaslu commissioners is still in the academic manuscript and has not yet become a final decision.

The House will also continue to listen to public input during the discussions of the Election Law.