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How to ensure a peaceful outcome to the election, for both winners and losers
While the General Elections Commission (KPU) has announced the winner of the election, the potential for a contested result raises a crucial question: Could both victors and losers lose faith in the system and could this lead to social unrest?
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University students hold a protest at the General Elections Commission (KPU) office in Jakarta on Dec. 21, 2023. The protesters demanded that the 2024 elections be held peacefully and ethically. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
The 2024 presidential election, with its three candidates and passionate supporters, weighs heavily on the nation's future.
While the General Elections Commission (KPU) has announced the winner of the election, the potential for a contested result raises a crucial question: Could both victors and losers lose faith in the system and could this lead to social unrest?
The recent history of alleged electoral manipulation casts a long and unsettling shadow.
If a candidate who is seen as legitimate player by a substantial portion of the population loses, their supporters might view the result as rigged, eroding trust in the democratic process.
Fueling these anxieties are the powerful echo chambers created by social media algorithms and loyalist media outlets. These platforms, designed to keep users engaged with content that aligns with their existing beliefs, can amplify pre-existing anxieties and confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias, the tendency to seek information that confirms existing beliefs, fuels outrage and reinforces a sense of stolen victory or superiority among supporters from either side.
This deeply rooted "us vs. them" mentality is perhaps the most worrying consequence.
