Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The issue of abolishing direct regional elections has resurfaced in Indonesia. The plan, which involves appointing regional heads through the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD), is deemed a threat to local democracy by limiting public representation in determining their leaders.
Senior Fellow at the Populi Center, Thomas Pepinsky, said the plan to abolish the regional elections attempts to centralize power and eliminate the people's aspirations.
Direct regional elections, he said, are critical to allow local residents to hold their leaders accountable. "They want to be able to 'punish' their regents, mayors, and governors directly," said Thomas during a discussion on the outlook of democracy in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, organized by the Populi Center in Jakarta on Thursday, January 8, 2026.
Thomas pointed out the differences between direct regional elections to presidential elections. "It's a different political level, so the strategic and political implications are different," he said.
In November 2025, the Populi Center conducted a national survey to assess the performance of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka after one year in office. The survey also explored political and electoral issues, such as the preference for election methods.
The Populi Center survey, conducted from October 12 to 20, 2025, showed that the majority of the public prefer to directly choose legislative members by selecting the candidate's name on the ballot (84.3 percent), rather than through party symbols (13 percent).
There was also a strong preference to direct regional elections. Most participants prefer governors to be elected through general elections (89.6 percent), rather than being appointed by the central government (5.8 percent) or chosen by the Provincial DPRD (2.3 percent).
The same pattern is seen for regents and mayors, with the majority of participants favoring direct elections (94.3 percent) over being chosen by the District/City DPRD (4.1 percent).
The idea to reinstate indirect regional elections gained traction as Golkar Party chair, Bahlil Lahadalia, repeatedly expressed his hope to revive this mechanism. Including during his party anniversary, attended by President Prabowo Subianto, who hinted his support.
Other parties are split on the idea, with NasDem openly supporting the scheme, while various parties convened to discuss the proposal. Elite parties of the Onward Indonesia Coalition, including the Gerindra Party, the National Awakening Party, and the National Mandate Party, met with Bahlil on December 28, reportedly to discuss DPRD-elected regional heads
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party said it would follow Prabowo's decision, while the Prosperous Justice Party seems to remain uncertain. Only the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle opposes the proposal, as a member of the parliament.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2079071/indirect-regional-elections-threaten-local-democrac