Democratic Party members identify as “nationalist-religious” and take the national ideology of Pancasila as their political foundation.

Political expert Diego Fossati and the Carnegie Endowment consider the Democratic Party a figure-centric party without a strong ideological identity.

The Democratic Party has typically supported liberal policies, pluralism and strong international cooperation.

The 2001 special session of the People's Consultative Assembly that named Megawati Sukarnoputri the nation's president left a gap in the vice-presidential slot. 

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), who was previously defeated in the vice presidential race, saw this as an opportunity to present himself as a fresh leader for the nation. His supporters set out to create a platform to serve his aspirations in the 2004 presidential election.

Guided by seasoned politician Vence Rumangkang, the Democratic Party was born in August 2001, carefully molded into SBY's personal political entity and officially inaugurated on SBY's birthday, Sept. 9, that year.

SBY's rise

Ahead of the 2004 presidential election, the Democratic Party launched a campaign to introduce the electorate to SBY, who was serving as coordinating political and security affairs minister in Megawati's cabinet, as a presidential contender. 

SBY initially remained non-committal out of respect for Megawati. But on March 1, 2004, a falling-out with Megawati led to his resignation, taken as an indication of the seriousness of his desire to run for president.

Public sympathy for SBY swelled amid stories of his exclusion from cabinet meetings under Megawati.

Despite his newfound underdog popularity, the Democratic Party secured only 7.5 percent of the vote in the 2004 legislative election, which came before the presidential election that year.

SBY accepted his party’s presidential nomination and chose Jusuf Kalla as his running mate, garnering support from multiple parties.

Victory in 2004

SBY's communication skills made him a frontrunner in the campaign. He emerged as the top vote-getter in the first round, setting the stage for a runoff against Megawati. 

On Sept. 20, 2004, leading the "people's coalition", Yudhoyono clinched a decisive victory in the runoff, winning the presidency.

2009 triumph

SBY's first presidential term was characterized by economic growth and increasing international prominence for Indonesia. 

Riding the SBY wave, the Democratic Party secured a major win in the 2009 general election, earning 20.9 percent of the vote and becoming the dominant party in the House of Representatives with 148 seats. 

SBY was reelected that year with Boediono as his running mate.

Challenges and decline

SBY's second presidential term was fraught with political conflict. The House launched a series of inquiries into his administration, starting with the Bank Century bailout scandal, which eventually led to the departure of finance minister Sri Mulyani. 

Corruption scandals within the party further marred its reputation. 

In the 2014 election, the Democrats lost significant ground in votes and seats, falling to fourth place by representation out of the 10 parties in the House and securing only 61 seats. 

In 2019, the party won just 54 seats.

Internal conflict and a family affair

In 2020, SBY's eldest son, Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY), assumed the role of the Democratic Party's general chairman, succeeding his father. 

However, internal conflict bubbled over in 2021 when an extraordinary congress elected Moeldoko, the presidential chief of staff, as the new general chairman, contrary to the 2020 Democratic Party Congress results. 

Government intervention on March 31, 2021, resulted in AHY being declared the legitimate chairman. 

The party had initially sought to position AHY as Anies Baswedan’s running mate for the 2024 election but later shifted allegiance to Prabowo Subianto of the Gerindra Party after Anies selected a different vice presidential candidate.

Voted for:

• Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Law

• New and Renewable Energies Law

• Revised Criminal Code (KUHP)

• Revised Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law

• Revised Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law

• Sexual Violence Eradication Law

• Indigenous Peoples Law

Voted against:

• Job Creation Law 

Convicted high-profile members: 

1.Muhammad Nazaruddin

Nazaruddin served as the treasurer of the Democratic Party and was a legislator from 2009 to 2014. He was implicated in money laundering and bribery cases related to the construction of Wisma Atlet (Hambalang) for the 26th South East Asian (SEA) Games. Nazaruddin was found guilty, sentenced to six years in prison and fined Rp 1 billion (US$63,000) in the money laundering case. He was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined Rp 300 million in the bribery case.

2.Andi Alfian Mallarangeng

Andi was the youth and sports minister from 2009 to 2012 and served as the spokesperson for SBY during his first presidential term. Andi was implicated in a corruption case related to the construction of a sports complex in Hambalang, which was believed to have resulted in Rp 464.4 billion in state losses. After spending 4 years in prison and paying a fine of Rp 200 million, he resumed an active role in the Democratic Party as the secretary of its high council.

3.Anas Urbaningrum

The Hambalang sports complex corruption scandal also implicated former Democratic Party chair Anas, who was once SBY’s right-hand man. In 2014, a panel of Jakarta Corruption Court judges sentenced Anas to eight years in prison and fined him Rp 300 million for his role in the case. The court found Anas guilty of corruption and money laundering related to the project.

Democratic Party members’ corruption tally: ^*

Rp 119 billion ($7.5 million)

Total amount of bribes received or taken

Rp 1.12 trillion

Total state losses

^* Information courtesy of BijakMemilih.id