Effectiveness of Political Representation in Indonesia’s Legislative Elections

Abstract

This study analyzes the effectiveness of Indonesia’s open-list proportional representation system in legislative elections by examining the gap between normative ideals (das sollen) and empirical realities (das sein). Using a normative juridical approach supported by empirical election outcomes, the research evaluates whether the current electoral design produces fair, proportional, and accountable political representation. Normatively, the open-list system is expected to strengthen voter sovereignty, ensure equality of votes, and generate representatives with clear democratic mandates. Empirically, however, the system reveals persistent challenges, including political personalization, high campaign costs, elite party dominance, and a significant volume of wasted votes caused by the parliamentary threshold. Although voter participation and direct accountability between representatives and constituents have increased, these gains are offset by political fragmentation and unequal representation across electoral districts. The findings indicate that Indonesia’s open-list proportional system functions as a partial realization of democratic representation rather than an ideal model. Structural constraints within the electoral framework continue to limit proportionality and inclusiveness, highlighting the need for comprehensive electoral reform to better align electoral practice with constitutional principles of representative democracy.