Indonesia’s Historic Election Year: Political Shifts And The Road Ahead

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, Dec 25 (Bernama) -- Indonesia made significant progress in its democratic journey in 2024, holding its first-ever simultaneous presidential, legislative and regional elections since the end of the New Order era.

The highlight of the year was the election of Prabowo Subianto as Indonesia’s eighth president, a remarkable third attempt by the Gerindra Party leader to claim the nation’s coveted post.

Prabowo, along with his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, secured a resounding victory on Feb 14 with 58.6 per cent of the votes in a single round.

Their win came in a competitive race against formidable opponents, including Anies Baswedan with Muhaimin Iskandar, and Ganjar Pranowo with Mahfud MD, who garnered 24.9 per cent and 16.5 per cent of the votes, respectively.

Prabowo, who was supported by the Koalisi Indonesia Maju (KIM) coalition of 10 political parties,  officially took office on Oct 20, succeeding two-term president Joko Widodo, affectionately known as Jokowi.

As president, Prabowo introduced “Kabinet Merah Putih”, the largest Cabinet since the Reform Era. It comprises seven coordinating ministers, 41 ministers, 13 cabinet-level agency heads, and 56 deputy ministers. Notably, 17 ministers from Jokowi’s administration were retained.

In the legislative elections, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), led by political matriarch Megawati Sukarnoputri, remained the largest party and outside KIM coalition, securing 110 out of 580 seats in the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR).

PDI-P’s political chairwoman Puan Maharani – Megawati’s daughter – was reappointed as Speaker of the DPR for the 2024-2029 term.

Golkar secured 102 seats, followed by Gerindra (86), Nasdem (69), Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa (PKB) with 68, Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS) with 53, Partai Amanat Nasional (48), and Demokrat (44), holding nearly 80 per cent of the DPR.

On Nov 27, simultaneous regional elections were held across 37 provinces, 93 cities, and 415 regencies, with 103 pairs of gubernatorial candidates, 284 pairs of mayoral candidates, and 1,168 pairs of regency candidates.

KIM Plus-backed candidates triumphed in key provinces like West Java and East Java, surpassing PDI-P candidates.

KIM Plus is a larger version of the KIM coalition formed by Prabowo and his allies, adding seven more parties, including Nasdem, PKB and PKS, which had previously supported Anies in the presidential election.

However, in Jakarta, PDI-P-backed candidates Pramono Anung and Rano Karno won with 50.07 per cent of the votes in a single round.

On Dec 16, Megawati’s PDI-P announced the dismissal of key figures, including Jokowi, his son Gibran, and his son-in-law Bobby Nasution. The announcement was reportedly delayed until after the regional elections to prevent potential backlash from the palace and Jokowi himself.

Jokowi’s endorsement of Prabowo and Gibran’s decision to run as vice president for another party led to their expulsions, while Bobby contested the North Sumatra gubernatorial election under the KIM Plus coalition.

Looking ahead, Prabowo has pledged to address poverty, ensure food and energy self-sufficiency, and continue Jokowi’s economic policies, such as downstreaming.

His early presidency has focused on tackling corruption, launching a free school lunch programme, supporting infrastructure projects like Nusantara, modernising defence, and advocating for Palestinian independence.

Indonesia is the world's third-largest democracy by eligible voters, following India and the United States, with nearly 30 per cent of its 282 million population being youths.

-- BERNAMA