Demokratisasi Internal Partai Politik Era Reformasi: Antara Das Sollen dan Das Sein

Political parties as the main feature of representative democracy may only be able to function optimally in upholding the principles of democratic government if they are managed internally in a democratic manner. It is impossible for a democratic program to be developed by a non-democratic political party. This paper aims to comprehensively analyze the development of arrangements and practices of internal democratization of political parties in Indonesia during the reform era, especially in the context of leadership succession. This is a doctrinal legal research using primary, secondary and non-legal sources of law. The most important finding from this research is that the rules regarding the internal democratization of political parties are still very general and abstract, giving rise to many interpretations. In addition, there are no provisions for strict sanctions against political parties that do not heed these rules. As a result, most political parties often ignore orders or obligations to carry out the succession of their leaders in a democratic manner as mandated by law.