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.

Jakarta Post

PDI-P dethrones Dems in densely populated provinces

The April 9 legislative election resulted in the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) winning the largest share of the vote in the country's most populous provinces

Haeril Halim (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Tue, May 13, 2014 Published on May. 13, 2014 Published on 2014-05-13T09:14:54+07:00

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!

The April 9 legislative election resulted in the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) winning the largest share of the vote in the country's most populous provinces.

Winning votes from around 15 percent of the total 78 million eligible voters in the provinces, PDI-P ousted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party from the top spot, official vote-count data from the General Elections Commission (KPU) revealed on Monday.

In West Java, the country's most populous province with 32 million eligible voters, the PDI-P secured 4.1 million votes, followed by Golkar Party with 3.5 million and Gerindra Party with 2.3 million. The Democrats ranked fourth with 1.93 million.

According to the KPU, a total 124.9 million valid votes were cast nationwide, with 185 million eligible voters.

In 2009, the Democratic Party won 4.2 million votes, followed by PDI-P and Golkar with 2.7 million and 2.6 million, respectively.

The PDI-P also dethroned the Democrats in East Java, the country's second-most populous province, by garnering 3.58 million votes, followed by the National Awakening Party (PKB) with 3.53 million and Gerinda with 2.3 million.

As the Yudhoyono family's home province, the President's party won 3.5 million votes in East Java in 2009, trailed by the PDI-P with 2.6 million, followed closely by the PKB with 1.9 million. This year the Dems came in fourth place.

'The Democrats performed poorly in these provinces because people were angry over the graft cases plaguing the party's top officials,' said University of Indonesia political analyst Arbi Sanit.

'But the PDI-P's win in Java will not guarantee victory for Jokowi [the party's presidential candidate Joko Widodo], as he would still need to lure people who did not vote for his party,' he said.

According to KPU data, PDI-P came out on top in 16 of a total 33 provinces, followed by Golkar with 13. Gerindra, the Democrats and the National Mandate Party (PAN) each won a single province.

In 2009, the Dems won in 13 provinces while Golkar and PDI-P won in 14 and five provinces, respectively.

Surprisingly, PAN won in Southeast Sulawesi, a longtime Golkar stronghold.

Political analyst Hari Budianto of Polcomm said PDI-P's strong showing in Java was driven particularly by Jokowi's popularity.

'In West Java, the voters tend to base their party selection on news provided by media outlets, as they are more reasonable than in other areas,' he said.

PDI-P also won in Jakarta, which in 2009 went to Dems. Gerindra and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) came in second and third respectively in the capital, with the Democrats finishing fourth.

According to the official national vote count announced on Friday, the PDI-P secured 18.95 percent of the vote. Golkar came in second with 14.75 percent and Gerindra third with 11.81 percent. The official tally deviated only slightly from quick count results.

The results of the election reflect a highly divided House of Representatives with no single political party in a dominant position. Meanwhile, the KPU has delayed its announcement of how the votes would translate to House seats until Wednesday.

'We're going to announce the official composition of the House on Wednesday at 10 a.m.' KPU commissioner Ferry Kurnia Rizkiyansyah said on Monday.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.

Share options

Quickly share this news with your network—keep everyone informed with just a single click!

Change text size options

Customize your reading experience by adjusting the text size to small, medium, or large—find what’s most comfortable for you.

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!

Continue in the app

Get the best experience—faster access, exclusive features, and a seamless way to stay updated.