Mardani says the panel is ready
Speaking at the House of Representatives (DPR) building on October 22, Mardani said he had sought information from the Home Affairs Ministry's director general of politics and general government and House Deputy Chairman Sufmi Dasco Ahmad of Gerindra. According to Mardani, the director general had sent a letter to the president, while Dasco told him the committee was already formed.
Mardani, who chairs the PKS parliamentary faction, expected an announcement soon but could give neither a date nor the names of the members.
Law No. 7 of 2017 on General Elections requires the committee to be formed and announced at least six months before the serving KPU members leave office. Their 2022-2027 term ends on April 12, 2027, making October 12, 2026, the deadline.
In the previous selection cycle, President Joko Widodo established the joint selection committee for the KPU and Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) through Presidential Decree No. 120/P of 2021, signed on October 8, 2021, according to a Sekretariat Negara press release.
Election law revision adds uncertainty
A separate account from Ahmad Irawan, a member of the DPR's Commission II, differed from Mardani's. On October 23, Irawan suggested that the committee had not yet been formed partly because lawmakers were revising the Election Law, Beritasatu.com reported.
Irawan said the DPR was considering expanding the KPU from seven members to nine and reducing the selection process, including the fit-and-proper test, to just three months. These were proposals under discussion, not changes already in force.
Commission II established a working committee for the revision on September 29, 2026. That committee aims to have the revised law passed by March 2027, according to Kompas.id.
Membership and selection requirements
Under Article 22 of the current law, the president appoints the selection committee. It may have no more than 11 members, with three government representatives, four academics and four community representatives. Women must account for at least 30 percent of its membership.
Committee members cannot themselves run for KPU seats or be serving as election organizers. They must be at least 40 years old and hold at least a bachelor's degree. The law also requires a good reputation and track record, credibility, integrity, knowledge of election issues, and the ability to recruit and select candidates.
Mardani emphasized that choosing the panel is a crucial step in selecting KPU commissioners. He called for capable members with integrity and said he hoped none would bring particular interests that could allow influence over the selection.
Once established, the committee has a maximum of three months to complete its work and submit 14 candidates to the president. The president must forward those names to the DPR within 14 days. The DPR then has 30 working days to choose seven members through a fit-and-proper test.
Warning about vacancies and public participation
Herdiansyah Hamzah, a constitutional law lecturer at Mulawarman University in Samarinda, warned that delays in forming the KPU/Bawaslu selection committee risk leaving posts vacant, Kompas.id reported. A selection committee typically needs about three months to carry out its work, he said.
He also warned that a compressed schedule could limit public participation and create opportunities for intervention that could undermine commissioners' independence.
