Candidates from minority groups are projected to win local elections in several regions, prompting hope that it indicates a less discriminatory outlook from voters toward leaders of different genders, ethnicities and faiths.

The PDI-P is planning to expel 27 members for backing rival candidates in last week's regional head elections as part of an effort to tighten its ranks ahead of next year's congress.

Political parties backing Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Ridwan Kamil have begun gearing up for a runoff election despite his main rival having already claimed a single-round victory and the General Elections Commission (KPU) yet to announce the results.

Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said at a hearing with House of Representatives Commission V overseeing infrastructure and transportation that the proposed amount would be part of the Rp 60.6 trillion budget the ministry hoped to secure for next year.

The nationalist party, now cast as the de facto opposition in the House, has met with general opposition from other political parties in the ruling coalition, but also some hints of support from observers about restructuring supervision over the police institution.

Over a dozen former members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) who ran for regional office this year are expected to have lost their contests, sparking questions about the institution’s image and whether it continues to hold sway over voters.

The court stated it had arrived at the decision based on its consideration that Article 42 of the KPK Law conditionally contradicted the Constitution.

The announcement was made after the minister met with Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke in Jakarta on Tuesday.

House of Representatives Commission II vice chairman Dede Yusuf has called for a wider time gap between the general election and regional elections, citing voter fatigue.

Coordinating Food Minister Zulkifli Hasan has requested an additional budget of Rp 505 billion (US$32.6 million) for his ministry due to a lack of office space, cars and infrastructure.

Foreign Minister Sugiono revealed on Monday his plans to revive the ministry’s directorate general for economic affairs, as President Subianto Prabowo’s close aide faced scrutiny in his debut meeting at the House of Representatives.

The projected outcomes of two uncontested regional head elections indicate that the sole candidates have failed to win their races, a phenomenon experts say reflects signs of dissatisfaction with the dominance of political parties and their candidates.

The foreign minister addressed some lingering concerns in his high-profile debut at home on Saturday, outlining the many ways the Prabowo administration’s foreign policy starts at home.

Analysts say the major party's election losses in battleground regions, according to provisional results, could distinguish it as an opposition force at a time when most political parties are becoming subsumed under the ruling coalition.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has sent an investigation team to probe the fatal shooting by a police officer of a teenage student in Semarang, Central Java.

Indonesia is in discussion with three countries, including France, over the return of several high-profile detainees and aims to transfer the prisoners by the end of December.

The projected outcome of Wednesday’s regional polls has cemented the dominance of President Prabowo Subianto’s big-tent electoral alliance, the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM), which was also behind the administration of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, after candidates backed by rival camps suffered upset defeats in a number of key battlegrounds.

In Jakarta, only 57 percent of registered voters voted during Wednesday's gubernatorial election, a trend also witnessed in other regions during this year's simultaneous regional elections, according to data from pollsters and poll bodies.

The families of the deceased poll workers will each receive Rp 36 million (US$2,272) in compensation, in addition to Rp 10 million for burial expenses. 

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair, Megawati Soekarnoputri, says democracy in the country is “dying” as she claims to have received reports about the massive mobilization of regional leaders and security apparatuses during the recent regional head elections.

Disgraced antigraft body chair Firli Bahuri cited a lack of evidence found by police investigators in naming him a graft suspect, as the police investigation drags on.

High-profile detainees include a Philippine woman saved from execution and the remaining members of Australia's "Bali Nine", all convicted on drugs charges.

The likely victory of candidates backed by the ruling coalition in most strategic regions in this week's local elections is expected to solidify the power base that President Prabowo Subianto needs to implement his agenda over the next five years.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) said its provincial offices will announce the results of the gubernatorial elections by Dec. 15 at the latest, as election workers are still counting the votes through a tiered tabulation process.

More than 200 million voters cast their ballots on Wednesday for leaders in 37 provinces, 93 cities, and 415 districts. While the official results will be announced between Nov. 30 and Dec. 15, independent pollsters have released their election counts.

Many voters refrained from going to polling stations to cast votes for this year's simultaneous regional elections, with observers and election organizers mostly blaming disasters and political exhaustion as factors discouraging people from voting.

Quick counts indicate that regional head candidates backed by the governing coalition are on course to dominate most key battleground provinces in the country’s first nationwide simultaneous regional elections, solidifying support for President Prabowo Subianto to execute his programs over the next five years.

Despite the relatively peaceful situation, Listyo said security forces remained on high alert, especially during the critical vote-counting phase.

Central Java gubernatorial candidate Ahmad Luthfi and his running mate Taj Yasin Maimoen are likely to have beaten rivals Anika Perkasa and running mate Hendrar Prihadi in the province’s polls on Wednesday, according to preliminary results from pollsters.

The vote counting at polling stations is the first step in the lengthy and laborious vote-counting and tabulating process of election returns, with the process scheduled to be finished by Dec. 16, according to the General Elections Commission (KPU).