'€œFifty one percent of respondents said they would vote in the 2014 presidential election, down from 72.1 percent in 2009,'€ Insis researcher Mochtar W. Oetomo said in Jakarta on Sunday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said 10.46 percent of respondents said they would not vote in the election while 38.22 percent respondents did not respond to the question.

Mochtar said turnout levels at presidential elections in Indonesia had continued to fall since 2004. In the first round of the 2004 presidential election, 78 percent of eligible voters exercised their right to vote but this fell to 75 percent in the second round.

Overall, the percentage of people who voted in elections after reformation stood at 79 percent in 2009, down from 84.07 percent in 2004 and 92.74 percent in 1999.

Mochtar said it was crucial for every citizen to participate in the election to prevent the country from falling into a cartel democratic system again.

'€œIf the turnout levels continue to decline this will be early warning for the development of democracy in Indonesia,'€ he said.

The survey, which involved 1,070 respondents, took place from Dec. 4, 2013 to Jan. 8 in 34 provinces across Indonesia. The survey used a multistage random sampling method with an error margin of 3 percent. Data was collected through direct interviews using questionnaire guidelines. (ebf)

Popular

1.5-year sentence for sandals thief sparks corruption debate

Can Europe and China forge a climate connection?

Japan to export used destroyers to Philippines to deter China