Constitutional Legitimacy of Regional Head Elections by Regional People's Representative Councils (DPRD)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15294/ijpgc.v5i1.47184Keywords:
Constitutional legitimacy, regional elections, representative democracy, DPRD, local governanceAbstract
The mechanism for electing regional heads in Indonesia has long been
the subject of constitutional debate, particularly regarding whether such
elections must necessarily be conducted directly by the people or
whether elections conducted through representative institutions such as
Regional People's Representative Councils (DPRD) may also satisfy
constitutional requirements. Article 18 paragraph (4) of the 1945
Constitution states that governors, regents, and mayors are elected
democratically, yet the provision does not explicitly determine the
electoral mechanism to be used. This ambiguity has generated various
interpretations among scholars and policymakers regarding the
constitutional meaning of democratic elections at the regional level.
This article examines the constitutional legitimacy of regional head
elections conducted by DPRD within the framework of representative
democracy. Using normative legal research methods and constitutional
interpretation approaches, this study analyzes textual, systematic, and
teleological interpretations of the relevant constitutional provisions.
The study also evaluates democratic legitimacy through theoretical
perspectives on representation, accountability, and democratic
governance. The findings indicate that elections conducted by DPRD
may still be considered constitutionally legitimate because DPRD
members derive their authority from democratic elections and function
as representatives of the people. However, such mechanisms also raise
several concerns related to political participation, elite domination, and
institutional accountability in local governance. Therefore, maintaining
democratic legitimacy requires strong institutional safeguards,
transparency mechanisms, and effective public oversight to ensure that
representative electoral processes remain accountable to citizens.
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