Constitutional Engineering and Transitional Design Following Constitutional Court Decision Number 135/PUU-XXII/2024

Rifqi Qonita Hulwana; Muhammad Riyadi

doi:10.33756/eslaj.v8i2.40728

Constitutional Engineering and Transitional Design Following Constitutional Court Decision Number 135/PUU-XXII/2024

Rifqi Qonita Hulwana, Muhammad Riyadi

Abstract

This study examines the constitutional implications of Constitutional Court Decision Number 135/PUU-XXII/2024 for the transitional design of local elections in Indonesia. The Decision separates national elections from local elections by approximately 2–2.5 years, creating a temporal mismatch between the expiration of existing regional mandates and the implementation of the new local electoral cycle. This transition raises a constitutional dilemma between continuity of government and periodic democratic authorization, particularly for Regional People’s Representative Councils (DPRD) and regional heads. Using doctrinal legal research with statutory and conceptual approaches, this study evaluates competing transitional models through periodic democratic authorization, continuity of constitutional government, legal certainty, proportionality, regional autonomy, and temporariness. The study proposes a differentiated transitional design: a temporary DPRD arrangement preserving the representative composition produced by the 2024 election, and interim elections for regional heads to restore direct democratic authorization while protecting regional autonomy. The proposed design requires explicit legislative provisions, limited transitional authority, institutional safeguards, dispute-resolution mechanisms, and a clear sunset clause to prevent exceptional arrangements from becoming permanent electoral mechanisms.

Keywords

Constitutional Court Decision; Constitutional Engineering; Electoral Transition; Local Election Design

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.33756/eslaj.v8i2.40728