ANALISIS PENGUATAN KELEMBAGAAN KOMISI PEMILIHAN UMUM DALAM PERSPEKTIF DEMOKRASI DI INDONESIA

Research is on the institutional strengthening of the General Election Commission of the Republic of Indonesia from a democratic perspective. The problem raised in this research is how the institutional construction of the KPU RI in Indonesian positive law and how the institutional strengthening is in a democratic perspective. This research was conducted using a normative juridical legal research method with a statutory approach, a historical approach, and a comparative approach, comparative here by comparing the institutional models of election organizers in the United States and South Africa. The legal collection technique in this research uses literature studies and statutory studies which are then analyzed using descriptive-qualitative methods. Based on the results of the research and discussion, the institutional construction of the KPU RI in positive law in Indonesia has been regulated in Article 22E paragraph (5) of the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia, which states that the KPU is national, permanent, and independent. This provision was then emphasized in Law No. 7 of 2017 concerning Elections. However, the KPU institution still faces serious problems, especially in terms of the independence of the member recruitment process, as well as challenges of accountability and professionalism that are vulnerable to being influenced by political dynamics. The institutional strengthening of the Indonesian General Elections Commission (KPU RI) from a democratic perspective demands a restructuring that places greater emphasis on democratic parameters, namely rotation of power, majority power, and equality. Therefore, the reconstruction of the KPU RI is necessary so that it can function more optimally as a permanent institution that is accountable, independent, and has integrity in ensuring the implementation of democratic elections. The institutional reconstruction of the KPU RI needs to be realized through a revision of the Law on the General Elections Commission of the Republic of Indonesia to regulate the selection mechanism for members independently, transparently, and in synergy with civil society.