Lawmaker Urges Govt to Streamline Election Laws
Jakarta. Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) lawmaker Arif Wibowo on Thursday (02/06) urged the government to begin deliberation on codifying the country's jumble of election laws ahead of the 2019 legislative and presidential election.
After passing a series of amendments on the Regional Election Law, the government needs to start preparing the codification of other election laws, as ordered by the Constitutional Court in its Jan. 23, 2013 ruling, Arif said.
The Constitutional Court ruling stated that separating the presidential and legislation elections in different stages was unconstitutional, in effect suggesting that both elections could be held at the same time.
Codifying the country's messy election laws means rearranging existing laws and Constitutional Court rulings on election into a new, complete and integrated election law system.
Arif said currently there are at least five laws related to election practices in the country: the Regional Government Law, Regional Election Law, Presidential Election Law, Legislative Election Law and General Election Commission Law.
“The government should initiate a bill on the election law codification. This is already part of the national legislation program from 2014 to 2019, so I think the government should prepare it as soon as possible,” Arif said at the Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta.
Arif said it is also possible to stage regional elections simultaneously with the presidential and legislative elections, however that will have to wait until the country's election laws are streamlined.
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