President-elect Prabowo Subianto (left) and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka walk past President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo's portrait on April 24, 2024, at the General Elections Commission (KPU) headquarters in Jakarta, as the poll body officially announced the presidential election winners.

Perspectives

How Indonesia’s cyberspace entrenches oligarchic power

The 2024 presidential election is a testament to the resilience of the interwoven and inter-generational structure of political and financial power that represents the Indonesian oligarchy.

Perspectives

Insight: Beyond the political pie: Envisioning a capable and agile Indonesian cabinet

Lately, in nearly every conversation I have had, from coffee shops to conference rooms, the buzz is all about Indonesia's new administration, which will take office in October. However, it is not so much about the quality or capabilities of potential leaders; it is mostly about who gets which slice of the political pie. This kind of talk, while typical, really highlights a crucial shift we need to make: our focus must turn to appointing leaders who can really handle the intricacies of modern governance.

Perspectives

The case for dissenting opinions and the jurisprudence of morality

The Constitutional Court justices should have explored, followed and understood the values of the law and sense of justice that exists in society.

Perspectives

Insight: Toward a meaningful digital transformation

The success of Indonesia’s digital economy should be measured not just by the number of unicorn companies, but also by how digitalization improves productivity and worker well-being across sectors.

The Latest

Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court Suhartoyo (fourth left) presides over the first hearing of the petition by presidential election challenger Anies Baswedan over the February 2024 election, which was decisively won by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto amid allegations of irregularities and fraud at the Constitutional Court in Jakarta on March 27, 2024.

Perspectives

Indonesia’s democracy, not broken, just bent

In spite of the declining quality of our elections, there are positive signs that tell us that, by and large, the majority of the people in this country still have faith in democracy as the best mechanism in electing our national leaders.

Perspectives

Insight: In search of a wise king

Prioritizing civic education is imperative to lay the foundation that will lead Indonesia back to a towering nation with visionary local leaders and a citizenry that deeply participates in democracy

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and speak on March 8, 2024, before boarding the presidential aircraft at Halim Perdanakusumah Air Force Base in East Jakarta to depart for Jokowi’s official visit to East Java.

Perspectives

Keeping faith in democracy

So what if Indonesia's democracy is tiring, messy and costly? This only means that we must redouble our efforts to improve and strengthen it so it comes that much closer to meeting our aspirations as a nation and a people; and we'll need a leader with persistence and perseverance to help guide our way.

One spirit, one voice: Protestors perform Friday prayers on March 1, 2024 outside the House of Representatives in Jakarta. Afterward, they held a rally to voice their support for a House inquiry into alleged election fraud and to call on the government to lower staple food prices.

Perspectives

Election fraud: Will the House exercise its right of inquiry?

It is apt that PDI-P presidential candidate Ganjar raised the call for a legislative inquiry into alleged fraud during the 2024 general election, as that party possesses the qualities necessary to form an opposition and oversee the process.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto ride a golf buggy at Bogor Botanical Garden in West Java on Jan. 6, 2024.

Perspectives

Golkar’s art of survival

Several public officials are reportedly challenging Airlangga in the race for the party's top job, including Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, who is expected to make his bid as Jokowi’s proxy.

No smoke without fire: Protesters from various groups burn tires as they rally outside the House of Representatives on March 3, 2024 to support the House’s inquiry into alleged election fraud.

Perspectives

The murky waters swirling around the House's right of inquiry

The House needs to break out of its inertia and take decisive action now, lest its hesitancy in exercising its right of inquiry casts a pall over Indonesian democracy as a whole, in the present and for the foreseeable future.

A cartoon depicts the House of Representatives inquiry into alleged election fraud.

Perspectives

Political legitimacy: Between the right to rule and the duty to lead

The House's investigation into the President’s maneuvers in election irregularities should be seen as an effort to realize public accountability and control.

Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) chairman Kaesang Pangarep (left) simulates ballot casting during a campaign event in Kediri, East Java, on Jan. 23, 2024. Kaesang encouraged voters to cast their ballots for presidential candidate pair Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Perspectives

Doubting the PSI’s rise

Some experts say the drastic increase in the PSI’s votes contradicts the quick counts by various credible pollsters, which projected that the party had won less than 3 percent of the vote.

Almost there: The Surabaya General Elections Commission (KPUD) holds a plenary meeting on March 3, 2024 to finish tabulating ballots cast by voters in the East Java capital during the 2024 general election.

Perspectives

Quick counts and the integrity of the 2024 election

Amid allegations of electoral fraud, data analyses point to the general reliability and accuracy of quick counts, and that the real specter the public needs to watch for in future elections is information disorder.

President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (center) awards Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (right) the rank of honorary four-star general in Jakarta on Feb. 28 2024.

Perspectives

Jokowi’s political investment

To Jokowi, a former businessman, Prabowo represents a big investment calculated to produce handsome returns.

Vice presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo's son and current Surakarta mayor, reacts on stage during an election campaign at the Baharuddin Siregar stadium in Lubuk Pakam, North Sumatra on Feb. 7, 2024.

Perspectives

Congratulations, it’s a boy (president)!

Gibran’s place on Prabowo’s ticket served as a living, breathing manifestation of the connection to the benevolent glow of the Jokowi administration.

House inquiry into alleged election fraud cartoon

Perspectives

Do the right thing

At the very least, the prospect of setting up a House inquiry, in addition to the appeals to election bodies and the Constitutional Court, should allay concerns of bad governance and restore some credibility to the political process.

Members of the indigenous Baduy tribe check the candidate list at a polling station on Feb. 14, 2024, before they cast their ballots and vote in Indonesia's presidential and legislative elections in Kanekes Village, Lebak, Banten province. Voting began on Feb. 14 in Indonesia's presidential, national and provincial elections at more than 800,000 polling stations across the country, with nearly 205 million people eligible to cast their ballot.

Perspectives

Enhancing electoral inclusion for indigenous peoples

The lack of specific laws that recognize and protect the collective rights of indigenous peoples to their traditional lands and cultures complicates their ability to participate fully and effectively in elections.

Students of LSM Edukasi Dasar, Depok, enjoy their mid-morning meal provided by parents and the school.

Perspectives

No such thing as free lunch

Food can be a sensitive issue, especially in Indonesia, so getting this wrong would cost the government a lot of political capital.

District Polling Committee (PPK) officials input vote counting data into the Tabulation Information System (Sirekap) in Palu, Central Sulawesi on Feb. 21, 2024. The vote-counting at the district level in Palu uses Sirekap application despite an instruction from the General Elections Commission (KPU) to suspend the tabulation using the app as the commission synchronize data in the platform with the one from the manual C1 vote tabulation form.

Perspectives

Rethinking the role of technology in elections

Sirekap is merely a system to assist with the counting process and publicize the results, not a system to establish the official outcome.

President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (left) and NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh talk during a meeting on Nov. 22, 2018.

Perspectives

Time to back away

It's better for the President to distance himself from the post-election political dynamics and let the political parties settle their issues among themselves.

Local poll administrators (KPPS) check a ballot paper for Regional Representatives Council (DPD) candidates on Feb. 14, 2024, while counting votes, at a polling station in Indramayu, West Java.

Perspectives

Young blood of democracy

The dedication of poll workers, amid challenges and sacrifices, embodies the spirit of democracy and strengthens the foundation of our nation.

Eyestrain: Poll workers tabulate votes at dawn on Feb. 15, 2024 at a poorly lit polling station in Ranomeeto subdistrict, South Konawe regency, Southeast Sulawesi.

Perspectives

Embracing unity: The election from the lens of an ordinary citizen

Although ideological battles, narratives, and political debates, mainly related to presidential candidates, happened, they were limited to the media and social media.

President Joko “Jokowi“ Widodo (left) and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto shake hands on Feb. 19, 2024, during the inauguration of the Soedirman National Defense Central Hospital (RSPPN) in Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta.

Perspectives

Democracy's betrayal: When preventing the worst is no longer the priority

Jokowi is the protagonist behind the Prabowo-Gibran story, employing a soft, semi-authoritarian maneuver to emerge as the real winner of elections as a political game, with democracy the real loser.

Support from afar: Members of the Muslim community protest in front of the Arjuna Wijaya Statue in Central Jakarta on Sept. 20, 2023, against a government plan to develop Rempang Island near Batam into a Chinese-funded economic zone that would displace around 7,500 people.

Perspectives

The new president should embrace inclusive and responsible business practices

In many areas, communities seeking justice for the violations allegedly committed by corporations against them have suffered more significant losses, intimidation, criminalization and imprisonment.

A poll worker prepares Valentine's Day-themed decorations on Feb. 13, 2024, at a polling station in Banjar Tunjung Sari, Denpasar, Bali. The local poll administrators (KPPS) decorated the polling station for Valentine's Day to woo voters to cast their vote in the 2024 general election.

Perspectives

Indonesia’s valentine: Vote buying and democratic backsliding

It is the people who must rise to defend the principles of democracy, demand accountability from their leaders and uphold the rule of law.

Side by side: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (right), accompanied by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto (left), tours on Feb. 19, 2024 the newly inaugurated Great Commander Soedirman State Defense Central Hospital in Jakarta.

Perspectives

The ‘Hunger Games’ election and intergenerational trauma

But what has puzzled me and many others was Jokowi’s metamorphosis from a down-to-earth reformist president to a “Little Soeharto”.

Youth voice: Students of various universities across Greater Surakarta rally outside the mayor’s office in Surakarta, Central Java on Feb. 8, 2024 to demand that state apparatus maintain impartiality for the sake of free and fair elections.

Perspectives

Our post-election homework: Consolidating civil society

Under the term kritik solutif dan santun (solutional and polite criticism), opinions are often shut down and delegitimized.

Women on top: Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri (second left) and her daughter Puan Maharani greet party supporters during an election rally in Semarang, Central Java, on Feb. 10, 2024.

Perspectives

The PDI-P has a pivotal opposition role after the election

The PDI-P has the opportunity to champion the cause of democratic integrity, transparency and accountability.

A worker loads rice at Cipinang Main Rice Market, Jakarta, on March 15, 2021.

Perspectives

Stability during vote count

The shortages prove something has gone wrong with the Bulog distribution system and the government must mend it as soon as possible.

Celebration: Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto (left, front row) and running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka wave to their supporters on Feb. 14, 2024 at the Senayan Sports Hall in Jakarta. According to several quick counts, the pair won the election with a wide lead.

Perspectives

What does Prabowo-Gibran’s win mean for Indonesian democracy?

In the next regime under Prabowo, human rights issues will be far from resolved, instead further contributing to the weakening of democratic institutions.

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Important Dates

Nov. 27, 2024

Regional elections for governors, mayors and regents

Oct. 20, 2024

Inauguration of new president and vice president

Oct. 1, 2024

Inauguration of newly elected national representatives

Jun. 26, 2024

Second round presidential election

Jun. 23, 2024 - Jun. 25, 2024

Quiet period

Jun. 2, 2024 - Jun. 22, 2024

Campaign period

Second Round - If no presidential ticket wins over 50 percent of the popular vote, a second round of voting will be held with the top two pairs of candidates.

Feb. 15, 2024 - Mar. 20, 2024

Recapitulation of vote count

Feb. 14, 2024 - Feb. 15, 2024

Vote counting

Feb. 14, 2024

Presidential and legislative election

Feb. 11, 2024 - Feb. 13, 2024

Quiet period

Feb. 10, 2024

Campaign period ends

Nov. 28, 2023

Campaign period officially begins

Oct, 25, 2023

Deadline for registration of all election candidates

Oct. 19, 2023

Registration opens for presidential and vice presidential candidates

Jun. 21, 2023

Deadline for updating national voter database

Apr. 24, 2023

Registration opens for candidates for district, provincial and national legislative elections

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Indonesia Decides

How Indonesia’s cyberspace entrenches oligarchic power

Insight: Beyond the political pie: Envisioning a capable and agile Indonesian cabinet

The case for dissenting opinions and the jurisprudence of morality

Insight: Toward a meaningful digital transformation

The Latest

Indonesia’s democracy, not broken, just bent

Insight: In search of a wise king

Keeping faith in democracy

Election fraud: Will the House exercise its right of inquiry?

Golkar’s art of survival

The murky waters swirling around the House's right of inquiry

Political legitimacy: Between the right to rule and the duty to lead

Doubting the PSI’s rise

Quick counts and the integrity of the 2024 election

Jokowi’s political investment

Congratulations, it’s a boy (president)!

Do the right thing

Enhancing electoral inclusion for indigenous peoples

No such thing as free lunch

Rethinking the role of technology in elections

Time to back away

Young blood of democracy

Embracing unity: The election from the lens of an ordinary citizen

Democracy's betrayal: When preventing the worst is no longer the priority

The new president should embrace inclusive and responsible business practices

Indonesia’s valentine: Vote buying and democratic backsliding

The ‘Hunger Games’ election and intergenerational trauma

Our post-election homework: Consolidating civil society

The PDI-P has a pivotal opposition role after the election

Stability during vote count

What does Prabowo-Gibran’s win mean for Indonesian democracy?

Important Dates

Regional elections for governors, mayors and regents

Inauguration of new president and vice president

Inauguration of newly elected national representatives

Second round presidential election

Quiet period

Campaign period

Recapitulation of vote count

Vote counting

Presidential and legislative election

Quiet period

Campaign period ends

Campaign period officially begins

Deadline for registration of all election candidates

Registration opens for presidential and vice presidential candidates

Deadline for updating national voter database

Registration opens for candidates for district, provincial and national legislative elections