Improvements to the Appointment of Regional Heads through Direct Elections from the Perspective of Article 18, Paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution

Authors

  • Zulwisman Universitas Andalas
  • Charles Simabura Universitas Andalas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38035/jlph.v6i4.3297

Keywords:

Local Elections, Vote-Buying, Election Supervisory Agency, Participatory Oversight, Constitution

Abstract

This study examines the constitutional ambiguity of Article 18, paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia regarding the phrase “elected democratically,” which serves as the legal basis for regional elections in Indonesia. Although regulations have evolved through Law No. 10 of 2016 to strengthen popular sovereignty, the practice of direct regional elections has instead become trapped in a “democratic pathology” characterized by 82% dominance by capital (financiers) and TSM (Structured, Systematic, and Massive) fraud. This phenomenon results in popular sovereignty being hijacked by transactional interests. Using a legal-normative approach, this study asserts that the sole solution to safeguard the integrity of local leadership appointments lies in reconstructing the oversight model. The integration of strengthened Bawaslu authority with the digitization of participatory oversight (Gowaslu) and community cadre development (SKPP) is an absolute prerequisite for restoring the dignity of elections in alignment with the principles of deliberation and representation.

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Published

2026-06-10

How to Cite

Zulwisman, & Simabura, C. (2026). Improvements to the Appointment of Regional Heads through Direct Elections from the Perspective of Article 18, Paragraph (4) of the 1945 Constitution. Journal of Law, Politic and Humanities, 6(4), 2748–2756. https://doi.org/10.38035/jlph.v6i4.3297

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 4 (2026): (JLPH) Journal of Law, Politic and Humanities

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Zulwisman, Charles Simabura

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