The Constitutional Court (MK), through Decision Number 128/PUU-XXIV/2026, has established a strategic policy to encourage female representation in the national political arena. The ruling grants authority to the General Elections Commission (KPU) at all levels to disqualify political parties that fail to meet the minimum requirement of 30 percent female legislative candidates in the respective electoral districts.
Constitutional Court Justice Adies Kadir, in reading the court's considerations, emphasized that this strict sanction is necessary to realize justice and eliminate gender discrimination in compiling the list of candidates for the House of Representatives (DPR) and Regional House of Representatives (DPRD). According to the Court, this policy is a concrete manifestation of the spirit of Article 28H paragraph 2 of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia (UUD NRI 1945), which guarantees the right of every citizen to receive equal opportunities.
Support for this legal measure came from various groups, including Member of Commission II of the House of Representatives (DPR), Mardani Ali Sera. He assessed that the confirmation of sanctions by the Constitutional Court will act as a catalyst for political parties to be more serious in implementing the affirmative policy of female representation. According to him, this step will further strengthen women's leadership within the Indonesian democratic ecosystem.
With this decision, political parties now face tangible administrative consequences if they ignore the female quota rules. The Court hopes that, through this policy, female representation in parliament can become more representative and reflect the principle of just popular sovereignty, leaving no more room for political parties to disregard these requirements in any stage of the election contestation.
