Concerns Over KPU Quality if Candidate Selection Committee Is Announced Late

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Concerns are growing that the quality of the General Election Commission (KPU) commissioners may decline if the Selection Committee (Pansel) for potential KPU members is not announced to the public in a timely manner.

"The delay in the work of the Pansel is not just an administrative matter; it poses a risk to the quality of the selection process, limits the space for background clarifications, and may ultimately render public participation merely a formality," said Brahma Aryana, Secretary General of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP), to Kompas.com on Friday (23/10/2026).

According to Law No. 7 of 2017 concerning Elections, the Pansel for KPU candidates should be formed and announced no later than six months before the term of the current KPU members expires.

With the term of KPU members from 2022-2027 ending on April 12, 2027, the formation and announcement of the KPU Pansel should have been completed by October 12, 2026. As of now, it is already October 23.

Although the KPU continues to operate at the secretarial level, Brahma argues that this cannot replace the need for stable leadership.

"Even if the KPU and Bawaslu secretariats are still functioning, ongoing administration does not substitute for the definitive leadership needed for strategic decisions and institutional consolidation," he stated.

KIPP's concerns are heightened by the slow progress in discussions surrounding the Election Bill amidst various strategic issues that remain unresolved.

He warned that if new legislation is hurried in the lead-up to the election phases, the space for substantive discussion and public participation could become increasingly limited.

Brahma reminded that challenges will not cease with the approval of new regulations.

Election organizers will still require adequate time for comprehensive technical adjustments.

"Even after being passed, KPU and Bawaslu will need time to translate the new norms into technical regulations, budgets, information systems, and oversight instruments," he noted.

He added that this chain of delays is likely to result in a workload pile-up for the organizers at inappropriate times.

KIPP urged for transparency to allow the public to oversee this recruitment process objectively and avoid political speculation.

Progress on the Formation of the KPU Candidate Selection Committee

The Chairman of the PKS Fraction on Commission II of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Mardani Ali Sera, revealed that the Pansel for KPU members for the 2027-2032 period has already been formed and just awaits the announcement by President Prabowo Subianto.

Mardani stated that he obtained this information after communicating with the Director General of Politics and General Governance at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the DPR RI from the Gerindra Fraction, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad.

"The Pansel should have been formed by October 12, 2026," Mardani said when met at the DPR RI Building on Thursday (22/10/2026).

Although he has received confirmation that the Pansel has been formed, Mardani admitted that he does not yet know the names of the members or the timeline for the announcement.

"I still don't have that information. Still don’t have it," he added.