JAKARTA - Indonesia’s House of Representatives has shelved a plan to

this year amid mounting public pushback against a renewed proposal by President Prabowo Subianto’s ruling coalition to end direct elections for regional heads.

Support has been growing among pro-government parties to scrap direct polls after Mr Prabowo several times floated the idea of returning to an old system used during the New Order authoritarian era, when governors, regents and mayors were selected by regional legislative councils (DPRD).

Observers and pro-democracy activists have warned that such a change could reverse the country’s hard-won democratic reforms, noting that the indirect system would ultimately shift power to vote away from voters and back into the hands of political elites.

House Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, a politician from Mr Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, said on Monday that the legislature has no plan to discuss such a proposal in the near future, noting that the revision to the Regional Elections Law was not included in the 2026 list of priority Bills.

“So far, the House has no plan to discuss revising the law, and the ideas circulating outside, that regional heads should be appointed or selected by the DPRD, have neither been placed on the agenda nor considered for discussion,” Mr Dasco said.