TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
CSIS urges election reform for fairer, freer competition
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A worker puts equipment for polling stations into ballot boxes at a district hall in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi on Nov. 20, 2024. (Antara/Andry Denisah)
V
ote-buying, political interference and a disregard for ethics in February’s general election exposed the need for reform in the country’s electoral system, which experts say would help ensure better quality and integrity for future polls.
At a seminar in Jakarta on Thursday, researchers with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said the latest presidential and legislative elections suggested a concerning trajectory for the country’s democracy, even if it had proven itself to be resilient.
For the February election, they highlighted efforts to erode the rule of law and “undermine or politicize key democratic institutions” whose roles were to prevent the abuse of power, including the Constitutional Court, the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu).
CSIS researcher Vidhyandika D. Perkasa said the Constitutional Court’s ruling paved the way for the nomination of Gibran Rakabuming Raka, son of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, in the February election. The former president was accused of manipulating the law after the court, then headed by his brother-in-law Anwar Usman, ordered changes to candidate age requirements.
Despite not openly endorsing any candidate, Jokowi was heavily criticized for his perceived political interference and lack of neutrality in boosting his preferred candidate pair, President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran.
A CSIS study published during Thursday’s seminar suggested that the selection of members of the KPU and Bawaslu was marred by the interests of political parties and other groups, which later undermined the institutions’ independence.
“The patron-client relations and non-neutrality undermine the credibility of such institutions, with some officials able to be influenced by personal or political affiliations,” said CSIS political researcher Nicky Fahrizal.
