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Incumbent advantage paves way for local dynasty in South Tangerang polls
The expected victory of South Tangerang deputy mayor Benyamin Davnie in the recent mayoral elections has highlighted the advantages of being an incumbent.
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Outgoing South Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmi Diany and Deputy Mayor Benyamin Davnie appear together at an event. Benyamin is looking to succeed Airin in the city's 2020 mayoral election, after securing more than 40 percent of the votes counted. (kompas.com/Andri Donnal Putera)
T
he expected victory of South Tangerang deputy mayor Benyamin Davnie and running mate Pilar Saga Ihsan in last week’s mayoral elections has highlighted the advantages of being an incumbent, as an entrenched political dynasty keeps its grip on the fast-developing city.
Based on recent General Elections Commission (KPU) data, the Benyamin-Pilar ticket has secured 40.9 percent of the total votes counted, winning some 235,656 ballots and all but ensuring a clear victory over the two rival tickets in the South Tangerang polls.
The pair is more than five percentage points ahead of the runners-up, H. Muhamad and Rahayu Saraswati Djojohadikusumo, who grabbed 35.6 percent of the votes counted (204,930 ballots), while Siti Nurazizah and Ruhamaben garnered just 23.5 percent (135,122 ballots).
All of the votes had been counted as of Wednesday.
The results, not official until their announcement next week, marked the end of a fierce contest between political bigwigs that pollsters predicted would be decided by a floating mass of swing voters.
All three pairings have connections to the political elite, whether at the national or local level, but analysts said that it was clear from the results that the incumbent had managed to effectively mobilize campaign resources.
Benyamin is a two-time deputy to outgoing mayor Airin Rachmi Diany, while Pilar, a Golkar Party politician, is the nephew of former Banten governor Ratu Atut Chosiyah, whose extended family has left a lasting mark on Banten’s political arena.
