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Democracy is not only about who votes, but also about how power remains accountable to the people. The debate over whether regional leaders should be elected directly by citizens or indirectly through local councils has resurfaced since late 2025. On June 29, 2026, the Constitutional Court, through Decision No. 195/PUU-XXIV/2026, reaffirmed that direct elections remain in effect, though the ruling was procedural and does not close the door to legislative review.
Arguments about efficiency versus democratization often oversimplify the issue. Direct elections do not automatically guarantee accountability, while council-based elections can still produce responsive leadership if political systems function well. The essence of local democracy lies in four dimensions: meaningful representation, functional accountability, continuous corrective mechanisms, and equal access to power.
To deepen this discourse, The Habibie Center, supported by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) Indonesia, is organizing the Democracy Dialogue titled “Unravelling Institutional Design of Regional Elections for Substantive Local Democracy” as a platform for cross-stakeholder exchange.
📅 Date: July 29, 2026
📍 Venue: Wisma Habibie Ainun – South Jakarta
Agenda
July 29, 2026
14:00 – 14:25 Opening Remarks
Dewi Fortuna Anwar (Chair of the Board of Governors, The Habibie Center)
Jan Senkyr (Director, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Indonesia & Timor-Leste)
14:25 – 14:45 Keynote Address: The State's Policy Direction in Shaping the Institutional Design of Regional Head Elections
Prof. (H.C.) Dr. Drs. Akmal Malik, M.Si., CGRE (Director General of Politics and General Government, Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia)
14:45 – 14:50 Introduction to the Democracy Dialogue Session
Moderator: Delia Wildianti, M.I.P. (Researcher, Center for Political Studies, Universitas Indonesia)
14:50 – 15:50 Democracy Dialogue Session
Panelists:
1. August Mellaz (Member of the General Elections Commission (KPU) of the Republic of Indonesia; Coordinator for the Division of Public Outreach, Voter Education, and Public Participation)
Topic: Institutional Implementation and Functional Accountability in the Administration of Regional Head Elections
2. Muhammad Rifqinizamy Karsayuda (Chair of Commission II, House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia)
Topic: Political Representation in the Institutional Design of Regional Head Elections
3. Prof. Dr. Firman Noor, M.A. (Hons.) (Senior Associate Fellow, The Habibie Center)
Topic: Corrective Mechanisms and Equal Access to Political Power from the Perspective of Substantive Democracy
15:50 – 16:30 Q&A Session and Concluding Remarks
By the Moderator and Panelists
16:30 Closing
By the Moderator
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