Markus Junianto Sihaloho & SP/Robertus Wardi – Two years before the nation goes to the polls to elect the next president, a debate has emerged over the requirements for nominating candidates.

Golkar Deputy Secretary General Nurul Arifin said on Tuesday that the presidential threshold, or the minimum vote a party must garner in legislative elections to be able to nominate a presidential candidate, should be set higher than the current 20 percent.

"If it has to be revised, Golkar Party proposes that the presidential threshold be raised to 25 percent," Nurul said. "The aim is for less vote fragmentation and waste so that we can focus on a small number of candidates."

However, politicians from other parties have requested that the threshold be lowered in the hopes of producing a more varied pool of nominees.

Last week, Anas Urbaningrum, the chairman of the ruling Democratic Party, supported the idea of lowering the presidential threshold to just 15 percent, arguing that such a level should stimulate more candidates to come forward.

House Deputy Speaker Anis Matta, a member of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), echoed on Tuesday Anas' hopes for a lower threshold – Anis argued that more prospective nominees will stimulate a fair and healthy field of candidates.

Rounding out the advocates for a lower threshold, Saleh Husin, faction secretary of the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), also backed efforts to ease restrictions for prospective presidential candidates.

"I think what has been suggested by several parties is good," Saleh said. "Parties that make the parliamentary threshold should automatically be able to nominate presidential candidates." Saleh added that the more candidates there are, the more options the public has in choosing a qualified leader.

Under the current threshold standards from the last legislative elections in 2009, only the ruling democratic party garnered more than required 20 percent; Golkar earned 14.45 percent, followed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) with 14.03 percent.

Meanwhile Tjatur Sapto Edy of the National Mandate Party (PAN), a member of the pro-government coalition, also wanted the presidential threshold to be reduced. "I think about 15 percent is adequate. We are ready to discuss this with our friends," Tjatur said.