In addition to being in line with the aspirations of the wider community, the decision to remove the threshold is also in keeping with the 1945 Constitution, he said.
Thus, it has fueled hopes for a more democratic presidential election with more quality presidential and vice presidential candidates, he added.
"Even though it is late, this important decision is still appreciated, so in the future, there will be no more divisions among the people due to the very limited number of presidential/vice presidential candidates as a result of the 20-percent threshold," he informed in a statement released on Friday.
The MK's decision to do away with the threshold, he added, will also open up more chances for the people to get nominated as presidential/vice presidential candidates, as seen before in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
"So, the presidential election can be of better quality and the sovereignty of the people can be maximized as there are more diverse choices in the presidential election in Indonesia," he explained.
He noted the MK's concerns regarding the decision, which led to the court mandating the House of Representatives (DPR) and the government to carry out Constitutional engineering by revising the Election Law.
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In addition to improving the quality of democracy and election results, Wahid said that he expects the MK to consistently uphold Constitutional provisions by revising its other related decisions.
One example is the MK's decision related to the ongoing regional head nomination threshold, he added. In its latest decision on regional elections, the court still stipulated that there be a nomination threshold, though it would be far below 20 percent, he highlighted.
"If the Constitutional Court has abolished the 20-percent threshold for the presidential election, let alone for the regional election, the threshold provision should also be abolished, not just reduced, in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution that do not recognize such restrictions, and also in accordance with the hopes of the people," he said.
He further said that the MK must also consider evaluating and correcting its decision regarding simultaneous legislative and presidential elections, which was initially enforced in 2019.
The problem is: in Article 6A, paragraph (1) of the Constitution as well as other provisions, there is no explicit provision stating that legislative and presidential elections be carried out simultaneously.
Thus, Wahid proposed that these points should also be the subject of discussion in the DPR, as mandated by the MK, to carry out Constitutional engineering.
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Translator: Narda Margaretha Sinambela, Yashinta Difa
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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