The number of votes garnered by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) during the recent regional elections was lower than the amount gained in previous elections, a top party official has said.  

PDI-P deputy secretary-general Utut Adianto said the party was evaluating the results of the elections held on June 27 in several areas long known as PDI-P strongholds, including Central Java.

In the province, PDI-P gubernatorial candidate pair Ganjar Pranowo and Taj Yasin garnered 58.34 percent of the vote. During the 2014 election, presidential candidate Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who was nominated by the PDI-P, gained 66 percent of the vote.

“Certainly, we will make calculations in areas where we were previously strong, but now suffered from significant vote decline,” said Utut as quoted by kompas.com on Monday.

The lawmaker said despite the declines, the PDI-P’s achievements in the 2018 regional elections were still within its targets.  When asked about the growth of opposition votes during gubernatorial elections in Central and West Java, Utut refused to comment, saying the results had not yet been confirmed.

Utut said he would need comprehensive data before acknowledging the votes obtained by opposition parties in the two provinces had increased. (stu/ebf)