Indonesian legislative election, 2009
Encyclopedia
Legislative elections were held in Indonesia
on 9 April 2009 for 132 seats of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) and 560 seats of the People's Representative Council
(DPR). A total of 38 parties met the requirements to be allowed to participate in the national elections, with a further six contesting in Aceh
only. The Democratic Party
of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
won the largest share of the vote, followed by the Golkar Party
and the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle.
to form West Sulawesi
as the 33rd province of Indonesia. Because this occurred after the 2004 legislative election
, West Sulawesi was not represented in the Regional Representative Council during the 2004–2009 period.
There were talks on increasing the number of seats in the People's Representative Council
as early as September 2007. In a meeting of a committee to draft changes to the Constitution
, various factions within the government proposed an increase to between 560 and 600 seats total. On 18 February 2008, the committee agreed on a 10-seat increase in the Council to 560 total seats in order to accommodate for the new province of West Sulawesi and population increase.
The election campaign began on 12 July 2008 and ran until 5 April 2009, followed by a "quiet period" of three days, during which all election posters, banners and other materials had to be removed from public places. However, TV advertising was permitted to continue.
The legislative election took place on 9 April, and results were announced one month later. The new members of the Regional Representative Council and the People's Representative Council
will be sworn in on 1 October.
Only parties or coalitions of parties tallying 25 percent of the national vote or winning 112 seats (20 percent) in the 560-member People's Representative Council
may nominate a candidate in the presidential election to be held in July 2009
. The introduction of a parliamentary threshold
also meant that only parties receiving more than 2.5 percent of the popular vote would be seated in the People's Representative Council.
from individuals and Rp5 billion from organizations, while the corresponding limits for DPD candidates were Rp250 million from individuals and Rp500 million from organizations.
In contrast to previous parliamentary elections that were closed list
, Indonesia instituted an open list
system for this election. Individuals campaigned not only as members of their political party but also on their own merits, and some who were not listed at the top of the party's list won seats.
On 28 April, lawmakers from six parties in the People's Representative Council submitted a formal proposal to investigate negligence
and discrimination
during voter registration
as the General Election Commission continued to dismiss challenges to results of its vote count. The General Election Commission also requested that any investigation by the Corruption Eradication Commission on the failure of the Rp40 billion (US$
3.68 million) electronic vote counting system to be postponed until after presidential elections in July. Despite these allegations, the Constitutional Court declined to open hearing to disputes regarding the voter list.
An investigation by the country's National Commission on Human Rights estimated that between 25 and 40 percent of eligible voters
were not able to exercise their constitutional right to vote during the legislative elections. The commission's report pointed out weaknesses in the organizational structure of the General Election Commission and the lack of a budgetary policy for organizing elections.
In order to continue updating the voter registration list for the July presidential election, the Ministry of Finance provided the General Election Commission with an additional Rp19.34 billion (US$1.9 million) in funds.
on 9 April. However, several stations experienced delays with the opening time and had to extend polling hours in order to accommodate voters who had not yet cast their ballots. Each polling station was scheduled to begin counting election results at noon local time and report them to the General Election Commission. Ballot counting continued until 9 May, when the Commission would certify its results.
In Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam eight international organizations observed the elections:
's Democratic Party
led the popular vote over Golkar
, the party of incumbent Vice President Jusuf Kalla
, and the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri
.
It initially appeared that Golkar would enter into a coalition
with the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle to challenge the Democratic Party in the July presidential election. However, talks were broken off on 13 April 2009, with Golkar reportedly more interested in continuing the coalition with Yudhoyono rather than risk being cut off from power completely. Yudhoyono was also in talks with Islamist parties
in a bid to form a coalition controlling more than half the seats in parliament.
By late April 2009, Golkar was in talks with smaller parties to gain the votes it lacked to be able to nominate Kalla as a presidential candidate. A ten-party coalition was formed on 1 May, consisting of Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle, the Great Indonesia Movement Party
, the People's Conscience Party
, the Prosperous Peace Party
, the Reform Star Party
, the Ulema National Awakening Party
, the National People's Concern Party
, the Labor Party
and the Indonesian Nahdlatul Community Party
. Two parties who had been considering joining the coalition, the National Mandate Party
and the United Development Party
, in the end decided not to join.
. This number represents almost 74 percent of the total population of Indonesia A total of 121,588,366 ballots were cast, of which 14.4 percent were declared invalid
. According to the General Election Commission, the number of registered votes who did not vote increased from 15.93 percent to 29 percent compared to the previous election.
(DPR) based on rules of parliamentary threshold. However, party seating could not be certified immediately after several parties raised concerns over the commission's vote counting methods. Seating distribution were eventually revised on 14 May after the commission admitted to "human error" when displaying the original results. These results will be certified at a later date.
The Constitutional Court began its hearings for approximately 620 election disputes on 18 May. Cases involved both elections for DPR and Regional Representative Council (DPD) candidates. A lawyer for a DPD candidate stated that all but two of the political parties accepted the results of that election in the province of Papua. On 11 June, the Court ordered the General Election Commission to revise its calculations for allocating seats in the DPR on grounds that the Commission has misinterpreted its own regulations. Though the Commission initially refused to abide by the Court's ruling, it reversed its decision less than 24 hours later but would not begin work on the revision before 24 June. As many as 16 candidates who have been declared as victors in their respective districts could lose their seats, including DPR Speaker Agung Laksono
.
Election reruns will also be held in parts of the provinces of Papua and North Sumatra
on 8 July, the same day as the presidential election
.
Election results saw a drop in votes for Islamic parties compared to 2004, when they collected a total of 38 percent of votes. Although 87 percent of Indonesia's population are followers of Islam, the four Islamic parties in this election (the United Development Party
, the National Mandate Party
, the Prosperous Justice Party, and the National Awakening Party
) only collected 24 percent of votes. The Prosperous Justice Party gained 12 seats but fell short of its goal of garnering 15-percent of total votes cast.
In addition to growing concerns for the economy, observers believed that many voters shied away from Islamism
after several local elections resulted in victories for Islamic parties. Once elected, these officials began experimenting with sharia
, or Islamic law, prompting resistance among the local population. Most notably, legislators had proposed an anti-pornography bill
in 2006 to gain the favor of religious groups. However, the bill's vagueness meant that practicing yoga
could be construed as a pornographic
action. Additionally, several corruption
charges were brought against officials representing Islamic parties, which had previously been considered clean compared to other political parties.
The trend of voting for secular parties was not limited to Islam-based parties. The Christianity
-based Prosperous Peace Party
received only 1.48 percent of votes, and Catholicism
-based Indonesian Democratic Party of Devotion
received 0.31 percent.
was the only party to have fulfilled the requirements needed to nominate its own candidates for president and vice president in the July election
. It won 150 seats in the People's Representative Council, well over the 112 needed to nominate a candidate. No party met the criterion of achieving 25 percent of the popular vote. By 16 May, three coalitions submitted candidates for the presidential election. The coalition led by the Democratic Party submitted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
and Bank Indonesia
Governor Boediono
as running mates. Golkar
and the People's Conscience Party
submitted Vice President Jusuf Kalla
and retired General Wiranto
as running mates. Finally, the coalition led by the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle and the Great Indonesia Movement Party
submitted former President Megawati Sukarnoputri
and retired General Prabowo Subianto as running mates.
Members of the new legislature took the oath of office on 1 October for a five-year term in an inauguration ceremony whose cost was estimated at US$
4.7 million. The DPR elected Marzuki Alie of the Democratic Party as its Speaker and announced a total of nine factions in the legislature. West Sumatra
representative Irman Gusman was elected chairman of the DPD for the new five-year term. At the same time, several party coalitions discussed nominations for MPR Chairman, including Taufiq Kiemas
, husband of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri. He was elected to the position on 3 October after receiving support from all nine political parties which was allocated seats in the DPR. The majority of DPD members walked out of the election after a proposal for two of the four deputy seats to be allocated solely to DPD members was rejected.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
on 9 April 2009 for 132 seats of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) and 560 seats of the People's Representative Council
People's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council , sometimes referred to as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected national legislative assemblies in Indonesia....
(DPR). A total of 38 parties met the requirements to be allowed to participate in the national elections, with a further six contesting in Aceh
Aceh
Aceh is a special region of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Daerah Istimewa Aceh , Nanggroë Aceh Darussalam and Aceh . Past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin...
only. The Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Indonesia)
The Democratic Party is a political party in Indonesia, was founded on 9 September 2001. Its ideology is based on the Indonesian concept of Pancasila.-Origins:...
of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
won the largest share of the vote, followed by the Golkar Party
Golkar
The Party of the Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It is also known as Sekber Golkar . It was the ruling party during Suharto's regime...
and the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle.
Background
On 5 October 2004, three regencies were carved out of the province of South SulawesiSouth Sulawesi
South Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia, located on the western southern peninsula of Sulawesi Island. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi province to the north, South East Sulawesi province to the east and West Sulawesi province to the west...
to form West Sulawesi
West Sulawesi
West Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia, which was created in 2004.- Geography :It is on the island of Sulawesi and includes the regencies of Polewali Mandar, Mamasa, Majene, Mamuju, and Mamuju Utara, which were formerly part of South Sulawesi...
as the 33rd province of Indonesia. Because this occurred after the 2004 legislative election
Indonesian legislative election, 2004
Indonesia held legislative elections on 5 April 2004 for both houses of the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's national legislature...
, West Sulawesi was not represented in the Regional Representative Council during the 2004–2009 period.
There were talks on increasing the number of seats in the People's Representative Council
People's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council , sometimes referred to as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected national legislative assemblies in Indonesia....
as early as September 2007. In a meeting of a committee to draft changes to the Constitution
Constitution of Indonesia
The Constitution of Indonesia is the basis for the government of the Indonesia.The constitution was written in June, July and August 1945, when Indonesia was emerging from Japanese control at the end of World War II...
, various factions within the government proposed an increase to between 560 and 600 seats total. On 18 February 2008, the committee agreed on a 10-seat increase in the Council to 560 total seats in order to accommodate for the new province of West Sulawesi and population increase.
Schedule
In accordance with General Election Commission Regulation No. 20/2008, the first phase of the election was finalizing the list of voters. This was completed on 24 October 2008 with 170,022,239 people announced as eligible voters. However, a month later, the Commission announced that due to errors in entering data, and after eliminating multiple counting, the final total was 171,068,667, including 1,509,892 overseas voters. It changed the final count once again on 12 March 2009 to 171,265,442 national and overseas voters after investigating allegations of voters left unregistered.The election campaign began on 12 July 2008 and ran until 5 April 2009, followed by a "quiet period" of three days, during which all election posters, banners and other materials had to be removed from public places. However, TV advertising was permitted to continue.
The legislative election took place on 9 April, and results were announced one month later. The new members of the Regional Representative Council and the People's Representative Council
People's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council , sometimes referred to as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected national legislative assemblies in Indonesia....
will be sworn in on 1 October.
Parties
Over 60 parties registered for the elections, but only 34 originally met the eligibility requirements. However, on 15 August 2008, following a successful legal challenge, another four parties were permitted to join the contest, making 38 in total. A total of 11,219 candidates vied for seats in the People's Representative Council, and 1,116 candidates vied for seats in the Regional Representative Council. Among the requirements for parties is that 30 percent of candidates are women. The Constitutional Court also lifted the restriction on former members of the Indonesian Communist Party to stand as candidates in the legislative election.Only parties or coalitions of parties tallying 25 percent of the national vote or winning 112 seats (20 percent) in the 560-member People's Representative Council
People's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council , sometimes referred to as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected national legislative assemblies in Indonesia....
may nominate a candidate in the presidential election to be held in July 2009
Indonesian presidential election, 2009
Presidential elections were held in Indonesia on 8 July 2009. The elections returned a president and vice president for the 2009–2014 period. A run-off election was scheduled to be held on 8 September if needed, but President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won more than 60% of the vote in the first...
. The introduction of a parliamentary threshold
Election threshold
In party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
also meant that only parties receiving more than 2.5 percent of the popular vote would be seated in the People's Representative Council.
Campaign
Although the election campaign began on 12 July 2008, before 16 March it was limited to invitation-only meetings, advertisements in the media and the distribution of campaign materials. The public campaign ran until 5 April 2009. Participants in the campaign were banned from calling into question the ideological or constitutional basis of the state as well as its form as a unitary republic. Campaign donations for DPR candidates were limited to one billion Indonesian rupiahIndonesian rupiah
The rupiah is the official currency of Indonesia. Issued and controlled by the Bank of Indonesia, the ISO 4217 currency code for the Indonesian rupiah is IDR. Informally, Indonesians also use the word "perak" in referring to rupiah...
from individuals and Rp5 billion from organizations, while the corresponding limits for DPD candidates were Rp250 million from individuals and Rp500 million from organizations.
In contrast to previous parliamentary elections that were closed list
Closed list
Closed list describes the variant of party-list proportional representation where voters can only vote for political parties as a whole and thus have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected...
, Indonesia instituted an open list
Open list
Open list describes any variant of party-list proportional representation where voters have at least some influence on the order in which a party's candidates are elected...
system for this election. Individuals campaigned not only as members of their political party but also on their own merits, and some who were not listed at the top of the party's list won seats.
Controversies
The introduction of a parliamentary threshold rule met objections from smaller political parties. By limiting seating in the People's Representative Council to parties receiving 2.5 percent of the popular vote, smaller parties would be at a disadvantage. A request filed by 11 parties to review the rule was rejected by the Constitutional Court.On 28 April, lawmakers from six parties in the People's Representative Council submitted a formal proposal to investigate negligence
Negligence
Negligence is a failure to exercise the care that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in like circumstances. The area of tort law known as negligence involves harm caused by carelessness, not intentional harm.According to Jay M...
and discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
during voter registration
Voter registration
Voter registration is the requirement in some democracies for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in elections. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive.-Centralized/compulsory vs...
as the General Election Commission continued to dismiss challenges to results of its vote count. The General Election Commission also requested that any investigation by the Corruption Eradication Commission on the failure of the Rp40 billion (US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3.68 million) electronic vote counting system to be postponed until after presidential elections in July. Despite these allegations, the Constitutional Court declined to open hearing to disputes regarding the voter list.
An investigation by the country's National Commission on Human Rights estimated that between 25 and 40 percent of eligible voters
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
were not able to exercise their constitutional right to vote during the legislative elections. The commission's report pointed out weaknesses in the organizational structure of the General Election Commission and the lack of a budgetary policy for organizing elections.
In order to continue updating the voter registration list for the July presidential election, the Ministry of Finance provided the General Election Commission with an additional Rp19.34 billion (US$1.9 million) in funds.
Election day
Polling stations were scheduled to open at 7 am and to remain open until noon local timeTime in Indonesia
The Indonesian archipelago geographically stretches across four time zones from UTC+7 in Banda Aceh to UTC+9 in Western Papua. However, The Indonesian government only recognizes three time zones in its territory: Western Indonesian Time—seven hours in advance of Greenwich Mean Time ,...
on 9 April. However, several stations experienced delays with the opening time and had to extend polling hours in order to accommodate voters who had not yet cast their ballots. Each polling station was scheduled to begin counting election results at noon local time and report them to the General Election Commission. Ballot counting continued until 9 May, when the Commission would certify its results.
In Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam eight international organizations observed the elections:
- Carter CenterCarter CenterThe Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn Carter. In partnership with Emory University, The Carter Center works to advance human rights and alleviate human suffering...
- European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
- International Republican InstituteInternational Republican InstituteFounded in 1983, the International Republican Institute is an organization, funded by the United States government, that conducts international political programs, sometimes labeled 'democratization programs'....
(IRI) - Australian Embassy to Indonesia
- International Foundation for Electoral SystemsInternational Foundation for Electoral SystemsThe International Foundation for Electoral Systems is an international, non-profit organization founded in 1987. This Washington, D. C.-based development organization provides assistance and support for elections in new and emerging democracies...
- Embassy of the United States to Indonesia
- Asian Network for Free Elections Foundation
- National Democratic Institute for International AffairsNational Democratic Institute for International AffairsThe National Democratic Institute for International Affairs is an organization created by the United States government by way of the National Endowment for Democracy to channel grants for furthering democracy in developing nations. It was founded in 1983, shortly after the U.S. Congress created...
Coalition talks
Preliminary results indicated that President Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
's Democratic Party
Democratic Party (Indonesia)
The Democratic Party is a political party in Indonesia, was founded on 9 September 2001. Its ideology is based on the Indonesian concept of Pancasila.-Origins:...
led the popular vote over Golkar
Golkar
The Party of the Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It is also known as Sekber Golkar . It was the ruling party during Suharto's regime...
, the party of incumbent Vice President Jusuf Kalla
Jusuf Kalla
is an Indonesian politician who was the 10th Vice President of Indonesia from 2004 to 2009 and Chairman of the Golkar Party during the same period. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2009 presidential election.-Early life:...
, and the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri
Megawati Sukarnoputri
In this Indonesian name, the name "Sukarnoputri" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name "Megawati"....
.
It initially appeared that Golkar would enter into a coalition
Coalition
A coalition is a pact or treaty among individuals or groups, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest, joining forces together for a common cause. This alliance may be temporary or a matter of convenience. A coalition thus differs from a more formal covenant...
with the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle to challenge the Democratic Party in the July presidential election. However, talks were broken off on 13 April 2009, with Golkar reportedly more interested in continuing the coalition with Yudhoyono rather than risk being cut off from power completely. Yudhoyono was also in talks with Islamist parties
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
in a bid to form a coalition controlling more than half the seats in parliament.
By late April 2009, Golkar was in talks with smaller parties to gain the votes it lacked to be able to nominate Kalla as a presidential candidate. A ten-party coalition was formed on 1 May, consisting of Golkar, the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle, the Great Indonesia Movement Party
Great Indonesia Movement Party
The Great Indonesia Movement Party is a political party in Indonesia. The party has nominated former Indonesian special forces commander Prabowo Subianto as its presidential candidate....
, the People's Conscience Party
People's Conscience Party
The People's Conscience Party is a political party in Indonesia. It was established following a meeting in Jakarta on 13–14 December 2006 and is headed by and former Indonesian Military commander Wiranto, who has been indicted for war crimes....
, the Prosperous Peace Party
Prosperous Peace Party
The Prosperous Peace Party is a Christian-democratic political party in Indonesia. It portrays itself as the reincarnation of Parkindo, the Indonesian Christian Party, which contested the 1955 and 1971 elections...
, the Reform Star Party
Reform Star Party
- Background :The party began as a movement within the United Development Party to depose Vice-president Hamzah Haz from the chairmanship, which he held for the 1998-2003 term, as it was felt he would not have time to run the party and hold the vice-presidency. The movement's leader was Zainuddin...
, the Ulema National Awakening Party
Ulema National Awakening Party
The Ulema National Awakening Party is a political party in Indonesia. It contested the 2009 elections, but won only 1.5 percent of the vote, less than the 2.5 percent electoral threshold, meaning it was awarded no seats in the People's Representative Council....
, the National People's Concern Party
National People's Concern Party
The National People's Concern Party is a political party in Indonesia. It is headed by Amelia Achmad Yani, daughter of Indonesian national hero General Ahmad Yani...
, the Labor Party
Labor Party (Indonesia)
The Labor Party is a political party in Indonesia. It has its origins in the Indonesian Prosperous Laborers organization , which in 1993 threw its support behind the Indonesian Democratic Party as a vehicle for its political aspirations...
and the Indonesian Nahdlatul Community Party
Indonesian Nahdlatul Community Party
The Indonesian Nahdlatul Community Party is a political party in Indonesia.It was originally established on 16 August 1998 as the Nahdatul Ummat Party and took part in the 1999 legislative election, winning 5 seats in the People's Representative Council. However, Law No...
. Two parties who had been considering joining the coalition, the National Mandate Party
National Mandate Party
The National Mandate Party is a moderate Islamist political party in Indonesia. It was founded by reformists, including Amien Rais, chairman of the Muhammadiyah organization, during the Indonesian reformation...
and the United Development Party
United Development Party
The United Development Party , sometimes translated as Development Unity Party is a political party in Indonesia. It is an islamic party and currently led by Suryadharma Ali.-Origins:...
, in the end decided not to join.
Grand total
The number of registered voters was finalized at 171,265,442, which is a 15.7 percent increase from the 2004 legislative electionIndonesian legislative election, 2004
Indonesia held legislative elections on 5 April 2004 for both houses of the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's national legislature...
. This number represents almost 74 percent of the total population of Indonesia A total of 121,588,366 ballots were cast, of which 14.4 percent were declared invalid
Spoilt vote
'Bold text'In voting, a ballot is considered to be spoilt, spoiled, void, null, informal or stray if it is regarded by the election authorities to be invalid and thus not included in the tally during vote counting. This may be done accidentally or deliberately...
. According to the General Election Commission, the number of registered votes who did not vote increased from 15.93 percent to 29 percent compared to the previous election.
Electoral disputes
Popular vote results were certified as scheduled on 9 May by the General Election Commission, which also announced that only nine parties would gain seats in the People's Representative CouncilPeople's Representative Council
The People's Representative Council , sometimes referred to as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected national legislative assemblies in Indonesia....
(DPR) based on rules of parliamentary threshold. However, party seating could not be certified immediately after several parties raised concerns over the commission's vote counting methods. Seating distribution were eventually revised on 14 May after the commission admitted to "human error" when displaying the original results. These results will be certified at a later date.
The Constitutional Court began its hearings for approximately 620 election disputes on 18 May. Cases involved both elections for DPR and Regional Representative Council (DPD) candidates. A lawyer for a DPD candidate stated that all but two of the political parties accepted the results of that election in the province of Papua. On 11 June, the Court ordered the General Election Commission to revise its calculations for allocating seats in the DPR on grounds that the Commission has misinterpreted its own regulations. Though the Commission initially refused to abide by the Court's ruling, it reversed its decision less than 24 hours later but would not begin work on the revision before 24 June. As many as 16 candidates who have been declared as victors in their respective districts could lose their seats, including DPR Speaker Agung Laksono
Agung Laksono
Agung Laksono is the coordinating minister for people's welfare in the Second United Indonesia Cabinet and a member of the Golkar Party. Previously, he was the Speaker of Indonesia People's Representative Council from 2004 to 2009...
.
Election reruns will also be held in parts of the provinces of Papua and North Sumatra
North Sumatra
North Sumatra is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.- Geography and population :...
on 8 July, the same day as the presidential election
Indonesian presidential election, 2009
Presidential elections were held in Indonesia on 8 July 2009. The elections returned a president and vice president for the 2009–2014 period. A run-off election was scheduled to be held on 8 September if needed, but President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won more than 60% of the vote in the first...
.
Analysis
]Election results saw a drop in votes for Islamic parties compared to 2004, when they collected a total of 38 percent of votes. Although 87 percent of Indonesia's population are followers of Islam, the four Islamic parties in this election (the United Development Party
United Development Party
The United Development Party , sometimes translated as Development Unity Party is a political party in Indonesia. It is an islamic party and currently led by Suryadharma Ali.-Origins:...
, the National Mandate Party
National Mandate Party
The National Mandate Party is a moderate Islamist political party in Indonesia. It was founded by reformists, including Amien Rais, chairman of the Muhammadiyah organization, during the Indonesian reformation...
, the Prosperous Justice Party, and the National Awakening Party
National Awakening Party
-Origins:The story of PKB establishment began in May 11, 1998 when the elders Kyai held a meeting at Pesantren Langitan. They discussed the latest situation that demands changes to save Indonesian nation from destruction. As a result Kyai make an official letter to Pak Harto requested he fell or...
) only collected 24 percent of votes. The Prosperous Justice Party gained 12 seats but fell short of its goal of garnering 15-percent of total votes cast.
In addition to growing concerns for the economy, observers believed that many voters shied away from Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
after several local elections resulted in victories for Islamic parties. Once elected, these officials began experimenting with sharia
Sharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
, or Islamic law, prompting resistance among the local population. Most notably, legislators had proposed an anti-pornography bill
Bill against Pornography and Pornoaction
The Bill against Pornography and Porno-Action was a bill proposed by the Indonesian legislative assembly, Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat on February 14, 2006....
in 2006 to gain the favor of religious groups. However, the bill's vagueness meant that practicing yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
could be construed as a pornographic
Pornography
Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
action. Additionally, several corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
charges were brought against officials representing Islamic parties, which had previously been considered clean compared to other political parties.
The trend of voting for secular parties was not limited to Islam-based parties. The Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
-based Prosperous Peace Party
Prosperous Peace Party
The Prosperous Peace Party is a Christian-democratic political party in Indonesia. It portrays itself as the reincarnation of Parkindo, the Indonesian Christian Party, which contested the 1955 and 1971 elections...
received only 1.48 percent of votes, and Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
-based Indonesian Democratic Party of Devotion
Indonesian Democratic Party of Devotion
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Devotion is a political party in Indonesia. It was one of two Christian parties contesting the 2009 elections....
received 0.31 percent.
Aftermath
The Democratic PartyDemocratic Party (Indonesia)
The Democratic Party is a political party in Indonesia, was founded on 9 September 2001. Its ideology is based on the Indonesian concept of Pancasila.-Origins:...
was the only party to have fulfilled the requirements needed to nominate its own candidates for president and vice president in the July election
Indonesian presidential election, 2009
Presidential elections were held in Indonesia on 8 July 2009. The elections returned a president and vice president for the 2009–2014 period. A run-off election was scheduled to be held on 8 September if needed, but President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won more than 60% of the vote in the first...
. It won 150 seats in the People's Representative Council, well over the 112 needed to nominate a candidate. No party met the criterion of achieving 25 percent of the popular vote. By 16 May, three coalitions submitted candidates for the presidential election. The coalition led by the Democratic Party submitted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
and Bank Indonesia
Bank Indonesia
Bank Indonesia is the central bank of The Republic of Indonesia. Bank Indonesia is currently governed by Darmin Nasution, former interim governor. The last governor before the interim phase, Boediono, resigned due to his vice presidential candidacy in the Indonesian presidential election...
Governor Boediono
Boediono
Boediono is the Vice President of Indonesia, after winning the 2009 presidential election together with incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.-Education:Boediono received his early education in primary school in Blitar, East Java...
as running mates. Golkar
Golkar
The Party of the Functional Groups is a political party in Indonesia. It is also known as Sekber Golkar . It was the ruling party during Suharto's regime...
and the People's Conscience Party
People's Conscience Party
The People's Conscience Party is a political party in Indonesia. It was established following a meeting in Jakarta on 13–14 December 2006 and is headed by and former Indonesian Military commander Wiranto, who has been indicted for war crimes....
submitted Vice President Jusuf Kalla
Jusuf Kalla
is an Indonesian politician who was the 10th Vice President of Indonesia from 2004 to 2009 and Chairman of the Golkar Party during the same period. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the 2009 presidential election.-Early life:...
and retired General Wiranto
Wiranto
Wiranto is a retired Indonesian army General. He was Commander of the military of Indonesia from February 1998 to October 1999, and ran unsuccessfully for President of Indonesia in 2004 and the vice-presidency in 2009....
as running mates. Finally, the coalition led by the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle and the Great Indonesia Movement Party
Great Indonesia Movement Party
The Great Indonesia Movement Party is a political party in Indonesia. The party has nominated former Indonesian special forces commander Prabowo Subianto as its presidential candidate....
submitted former President Megawati Sukarnoputri
Megawati Sukarnoputri
In this Indonesian name, the name "Sukarnoputri" is a patronymic, not a family name, and the person should be referred to by the given name "Megawati"....
and retired General Prabowo Subianto as running mates.
Members of the new legislature took the oath of office on 1 October for a five-year term in an inauguration ceremony whose cost was estimated at US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
4.7 million. The DPR elected Marzuki Alie of the Democratic Party as its Speaker and announced a total of nine factions in the legislature. West Sumatra
West Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
representative Irman Gusman was elected chairman of the DPD for the new five-year term. At the same time, several party coalitions discussed nominations for MPR Chairman, including Taufiq Kiemas
Taufiq Kiemas
Taufiq Kiemas is the Speaker of Indonesia People's Consultative Assembly since 2009. He is the husband of Megawati Sukarnoputri, who was President of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004....
, husband of former President Megawati Sukarnoputri. He was elected to the position on 3 October after receiving support from all nine political parties which was allocated seats in the DPR. The majority of DPD members walked out of the election after a proposal for two of the four deputy seats to be allocated solely to DPD members was rejected.