BALINEWSID.COM, DENPASAR — Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra emphasized that elections are not merely procedural exercises, but are fundamentally tied to public trust and the legitimacy of the state.

Speaking at a public lecture held at the Faculty of Law, Udayana University in Denpasar, Bali, on Tuesday (April 14), Yusril highlighted the central role of elections in a democratic system.

The lecture, themed “Reforming the Administration of Elections and Its Regulation in the Perspective of a Democratic Rule of Law State,” was moderated by constitutional law expert Jimmy Z. Usfunan.

Yusril stressed that elections serve as a crucial platform for citizens to express their aspirations, while also testing the state’s ability to ensure fairness without compromising governance capacity.

“In a diverse society like Indonesia, elections are not merely about vote counts, but also about public expectations for the nation’s future,” he said.

He noted that citizens come to polling stations not only to cast their votes, but also to place their trust in the system—expecting that their votes will be counted, announced, and respected.

According to Yusril, one of the main challenges facing modern democracies is the tendency to overemphasize procedural aspects, often at the expense of substantive justice.

He argued that even when electoral processes appear to run smoothly on a formal level, they may still fail to address public concerns over transparency and fairness.

“The public will continue to question whether elections are conducted honestly, whether all participants have equal opportunities, and whether the law is enforced fairly,” he said.

Yusril underscored that a democratic rule-of-law state must not only be capable of organizing elections, but also ensure that the results are widely accepted as legitimate.

“Without legitimacy, democracy becomes fragile, and election results will continue to be questioned, potentially triggering a crisis of trust,” he warned.

He added that the quality of elections ultimately reflects the quality of the state itself, calling for fair, rational regulations free from narrow interests.

Beyond legal considerations, Yusril described election management as a political and moral responsibility in maintaining the relationship between the state and its citizens. Democracy, he said, should function as a healthy mechanism for managing differences, rather than merely a tool for legitimizing power.

In the context of national policy, he highlighted the strong link between elections and broader issues such as legislative quality, legal certainty, protection of civil rights, political stability, and the investment climate.

He concluded that Indonesia is at a critical juncture to pursue comprehensive electoral law reform, including revisions to the Election Law, which has been included in the 2026 National Legislative Priority Program.

“Electoral law reform must not be carried out partially. We need a coherent, long-term design capable of addressing the challenges of modern democracy,” Yusril said.