Direct Regional Elections in Indonesia: A Critical Examination Through Pancasila Democracy and Islamic Constitutional Law

Ismail Marzuki, Lathifah Munawaroh, Ezza Naufar Fissabili, Lintang Nurul Fadilah, Mashudi Mashudi

Abstract


Following the simultaneous Pilkada (regional elections) on 27 November 2024, public debate has re-emerged regarding proposals to replace direct regional head elections with indirect mechanisms via the Regional People's Representative Council or DPRD. This study evaluates the systemic compatibility of direct regional elections through the dual frameworks of Pancasila democracy (national ideology political system) and fiqh siyasah (Islamic constitutional law). Employing a normative legal research method with a conceptual and statutory approach, this study analyzes primary legal materials, historical minutes, and classical Islamic treatises. The findings show that direct regional elections diverge from Pancasila democracy because they bypass the core tenets of representation, deliberation, consensus, and wisdom institutionalized in Pancasila’s fourth principle. From the perspective of Islamic constitutional law, executive selection is structurally predicated on shūrā (consultative deliberation) through ahl al-ḥall wa al-ʿaqd (representative institutions). Consequently, the study concludes that direct regional elections conflict with both normative frameworks, suggesting a constitutional imperative to realign Indonesia's electoral design with its foundational philosophical identity.


Keywords


Regional Head Elections; Pancasila Democracy; Islamic Constitutional Law; Deliberative Democracy; Representative Institutions.

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.21043/addin.v20i2.36075

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