Jakarta – Major political parties emerged the winner in the tug-of-war that preceded the House of Representatives' endorsement Monday of the election bill.
The bill secured major parties' interests after lawmakers voted to settle the dispute over the allocation of residual seats in the 2009 elections.
The bill was the second of four political draft laws required for next year's elections. The House passed the law on political parties last December and will continue to deliberate the two remaining bills, on the presidential election and the composition of legislative bodies.
Of 489 lawmakers present at Monday's plenary session, 320 voted for an option stipulating only parties with a number of residual votes equal to or more than 50 percent of the ratio between available seats and the number of votes cast could secure the residual seats. Any smaller percentage of votes would be collected at the provincial level.
Those supporting the option were the Golkar Party, National Awakening Party (PKB), Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Democratic Pioneer Star (BPD) faction and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction.
The second option – using minimum percentage of 30 percent – received 167 votes from lawmakers from the United Development Party (PPP), National Mandate Party (PAN), Democratic Party (PD) and Prosperous Peace Party (PDS).
Lawmakers from the small Star Reform Party (PBR) were almost divided equally in their votes for the two options.
The PKB faction expressed its satisfaction with the results of the vote. "Insya Allah (God willing), we will get more seats in the next election," faction chairman Effendy Choirie said.
However, a study by the Center for Election Reform (Cetro) found the PKB would add just four more seats with this new mechanism.
"This mechanism will benefit major parties most," said Hadar N. Gumay of Cetro. He said Golkar, the largest party at the House, could add up to 32 more seats in next year's election, and the PDI-P, the second largest party, could net 16 more seats.
Mid-sized parties like the PD, PPP and PAN could lose two to seven seats. He said the PKS, which supported the winning option, could lose up to 11 seats under the mechanism.
Hadar criticized the House's decision to collect some of the residual votes at the provincial level. "This will result in some 48 legislators with unclear electoral districts," he said. He went so far as to say the mechanism would ruin Indonesia's democratic system.
The plenary session was also attended by the government's representatives, including Home Minister Mardiyanto, who surprised lawmakers by requesting a 20-minute break in the middle of reading of a message from the President.
Mardiyanto said he needed to consult with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on the results of the vote.
Mardiyanto, who did not return to the podium until about an hour later, said the government accepted the House's decision. After the plenary session, Mardiyanto told reporters the consultation was not unusual.
"I just needed to consult with the President about whether any of the House's final decisions were different from the government's draft," he said. (alf)