Indonesia - News Archive

Election violence suspends Indonesia local election

Posted: 08/04/2011
Local elections in Puncak regency, Papua, Indonesia were suspended on Tuesday after clashes between supporters of rival local candidates left 17 people dead. The district, which was recently created, was scheduled to hold local elections on November 9. The violence took place during registration period, and was sparked when two candidates registered with sponsorship from the same political party.

Source: ElectionGuide

Indonesia's small political parties against new law

Posted: 01/17/2011
Nineteen of Indonesia's political parties on Monday announced their plans to challenge a new law they say is biased against small parties. Indonesia's government this week began the official process of qualifying parties under the new rules, which became law last December. The laws stipulate that in order to participate in the 2014 general election, a party must have offices in all 33 provinces, 75 percent of the cities in every province, and 50 percent of the districts in each city and regency. The government does not conduct the verification itself, but requires parties to supply the necessary paperwork.

Source: ElectionGuide

Yudhoyono's successor?

Posted: 05/23/2010
JAKARTA: The Democratic Party yesterday chose the man likely to be its candidate to succeed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the 2014 elections for Indonesia's top post.

Read full story. Source: Straits Times Interactive - ASIA

Indonesia poll challenge rejected

Posted: 08/12/2009
One of the defeated candidates in Indonesia's presidential election is to challenge the result, a spokesman says.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Constitutional Court decision supports KPU

Posted: 08/07/2009
The Constitutional Court (MK) decided Friday that the second phase of vote counting by the General Election Commission (KPU) in the legislative elections was

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

KPU puts Supreme Court ruling on hold

Posted: 07/28/2009
The General Elections Commission (KPU) has opted to ignore for now the Supreme Court's ruling on the second phase of vote counting for the legislative elections, and instead focus on the legal ch...

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Runners-up Challenge Indonesia Result

Posted: 07/28/2009
Both leading opposition candidates have questioned the result of Indonesia's first-round Presidential election, which seated President Susila Bambang YUDHOYNO with 60 percent of votes on July 8. Former President MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri formally challenged 28 million ballots and Vice President Josef KALLA alleges that voter lists were inaccurate. MEGAWATI won 27 percent of votes and KALLA had 12 percent. Both candidates had challenged voter lists through Election Day and a lawyer for MEGAWATI alleges that the General Election Commission did not act on these complaints. The results, nonetheless, accord with outcomes from several opinion polls and quick counts.

Source: ElectionGuide

Indonesia president wins second term

Posted: 07/24/2009
Opposition candidates are charging fraud in Indonesia's election, which President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won by a more than two-to-one edge over his nearest challenger.

Read full story. Source: CNN.com - WORLD

Mega-Pro team refuse to sign election results

Posted: 07/20/2009
Election witnesses from the Megawati Soekarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto campaign team have announced they will refuse to sign the results of official vote counting in several cities, claiming electoral fraud...

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Troubled opposition

Posted: 07/15/2009
A DAY after Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) barely squeaked to victory in a by-election in its stronghold of Kelantan, the opposition is torn between bravado and admitting that a warning signal has been sounded. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that the win is 'still a win'.

Read full story. Source: Straits Times Interactive - SE ASIA

First post-election plenary cabinet meeting set for next week

Posted: 07/09/2009
The government will hold the first post-election plenary cabinet meeting next Tuesday, says President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Indonesian president on track for re-election

Posted: 07/08/2009
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was poised to win his second term in office on the back of recent economic and political stability, according to early returns Wednesday in the country's presidential election....

Read full story. Source: AP Top International News

Indonesian President Wins Reelection

Posted: 07/08/2009
Preliminary results of the presidential election in Indonesia give President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO more than 60 percent votes, avoiding a runoff election and securing his second term. The runner-up, Megawati SUKARNOPUTRI, had 28 percent of votes. Observers reported a free and fair election without violence or irregularities. YUDHOYONO gained popularity by cracking down on a string of suicide bombings and presiding over economic growth during a recession.

Source: ElectionGuide

Yudhoyono tipped to win Indonesian election

Posted: 07/07/2009
Hundreds of thousand of police have been deployed across Indonesia ahead of tomorrow's presidential elections and last-minute disputes over voter lists have been settled.

Read full story. Source: ABC News: World

Jakartans would prefer single round vote for presidential election: Survey

Posted: 06/29/2009
A new survey has revealed Jakartans would prefer a single-round presidential election system, without runoff ballots, because it would be generally more efficient and save money.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Constitutional Court wraps up hearings, election results pending

Posted: 06/24/2009
After five weeks of almost non-stop hearings, the Constitutional Court announced it had resolved all 71 lawsuits involving almost 600 election dispute cases, leaving the national legislative election results pending.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

UI dissolves seminar to avoid campaign violations

Posted: 06/16/2009
University of Indonesia (UI) dissolved on Tuesday a national seminar featuring vice presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto for fear it would lead to a campaign and therefore violate the 2008 presidential election law.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Candidates vow to campaign peacefully

Posted: 06/10/2009
Three presidential candidates and their running mates vowed Wednesday evening to maintain peace during the open campaign period, which kicked off Thursday.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Record number of female legislators elected into the House

Posted: 05/27/2009
The House of Representatives welcomes a record number of 102 female legislators for the 2009-2014 period, or around 18 percent of the total seats.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

KPU's faulty seat allocation stirs confusion

Posted: 05/13/2009
Dissenting opinions among the General Elections Commission (KPU) members about the allocation of legislative seats have stirred confusion surrounding the requirements of the presidential election registration.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Megawati, Prabowo, to finalize discussions over presidential election

Posted: 05/13/2009
An official from Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said his party had deployed a team to discuss final matters with the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) concerning the pairing of Megawati Soekarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto as running mates in the presidential election. Read More

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Indonesia wasted votes and fragmentation

Posted: 05/12/2009
One party over 20 percent of seats, even with all those wasted votes. Now that's fragmentation!

Read full story. Source: Fruits and Votes

Two-alliance race shaping up

Posted: 04/30/2009
JAKARTA: With political manoeuvrings heating up in recent days and the shape of coalitions getting clearer, political elites have begun talking about the combinations for the presidential polls in July.

Read full story. Source: Straits Times Interactive - ASIA

Stop filing claims of vote-rigging: Jakarta police

Posted: 04/30/2009
JAKARTA: Political parties wishing to contest the results of the recent legislative poll could find it harder to do so now that police have closed the doors to those filing reports alleging vote manipulation.

Read full story. Source: Straits Times Interactive - ASIA

PD's victory expected to bring major changes to Sumatra

Posted: 04/26/2009
To local political analysts, the party's haul of least 20 percent of legislative seats at the provincial, regency and municipal levels signals a weakening of old hands the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which have long dominated local politics.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

It could be a three-horse race, with Mega

Posted: 04/25/2009
Voters may have three choices for president in July: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Vice President Jusuf Kalla and former president Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Indonesia's Voters Retreat From Radical Islam

Posted: 04/25/2009
People in the world's most populous Muslim nation are punishing narrowly religious parties at the polls, going against a trend in other Islamic countries.

Read full story. Source: NYT > Asia Pacific

Sultan's wife wins most votes, secures DPD seat

Posted: 04/22/2009
Ratu Hemas, wife of Sultan Hamengkubuwono X, tops the tally of official vote counting in Yogyakarta and secures a parliamentary seat.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

PDIP, Golkar in coalition talks

Posted: 04/22/2009
Golkar Party has turned to Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) for coalition talks after failing to secure a deal with Democratic Party and its patron Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

PDI-P accuses KPU of manipulating daily recapitulation reports

Posted: 04/22/2009
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has accused the General Elections Commission (KPU) of manipulating the total number of daily vote recapitulation results.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Ex generals ask KPU to give out voter list

Posted: 04/22/2009
A group of political figures led by former army special squad chief Prabowo Subianto has demanded the General Elections Commission (KPU) to hand over voters list to political parties for verification.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Court to suspend judicial review for election cases

Posted: 04/22/2009
The Constitutional Court will suspend judicial reviews pending trials on general election related matters.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Marzuki: Golkar's decision is not final

Posted: 04/22/2009
Jusuf Kalla's decision to abandon a coalition with Democratic Party does not represent the final stance of Golkar Party, says a member of Golkar central executive board.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

SMS: Repeating the election?

Posted: 04/22/2009
Your comments on the demand from a number of politicians to repeat the legislative elections, after claims that millions of people were disenfranchised.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Golkar won't join Yudhoyono

Posted: 04/22/2009
JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S Golkar Party said on Wednesday it will not join President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democrat Party to form a coalition ahead of presidential elections in July.

Read full story. Source: Straits Times Interactive - SE ASIA

House likely to have two factions only: Legislator

Posted: 04/16/2009
The House of Representatives (DPR) in the period 2009-2014 will possibly only have two major factions, namely an opposition and a pro-government faction, a legislator said.

Read full story. Source: The Jakarta Post

Indonesia's legislative elections

Posted: 04/10/2009
While I was otherwise engaged on 9 April, it seems Indonesia had its (’counter-honeymoon’) legislative elections. (Click the country name in the ‘planted in’ line for previous discussions, which included some interesting discussion of party-list dynamics.)

Read full story. Source: Fruits and Votes

Indonesia ruling party leads poll

Posted: 04/10/2009
Early results in Indonesia's general election show the president's party well ahead - putting him in prime position for re-election in July.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition

Indonesians Vote in Parliamentary Elections

Posted: 04/09/2009
Tens of millions of Indonesians went to the polls to choose a new parliament on Thursday.

Read full story. Source: NYT > Asia Pacific

Legislative Elections Strengthen Prospects for Incumbent Indonesian President

Posted: 04/09/2009
Indonesian voters went to the polls on Thursday, to vote in their country's third election since the country's 1998 democratic transition. According to some pre-election polls, only the Democratic Party of incumbent President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYNO is likely to clear a new threshold required of parties wishing to field candidates in July's presidential election. At stake in Thursday's poll were national, regional and local legislatures in the world's most populous Muslim nation. Expected runners-up were Megawati SOEKARNOPUTRI's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and Vice President Jusuf KALLA's Golkar Party. At least one quick count forecast Democratic Party lead shortly after the polls closed on Thursday night. 

Source: ElectionGuide

Poll's cash boost for Indonesians

Posted: 04/08/2009
Earning money from Indonesia's election campaign

Read full story. Source: BBC News | Asia-Pacific | World Edition

Indonesia General Elections to be moved to Either April 8 or 9, 2009

Posted: 06/11/2008
Indonesia's General Electoral Commission announced it would move the country's upcoming legislative election, originally scheduled for April 5, 2009 to either April 8 or 9 of the same year. The change comes following a request from several political parties that the Commission move the originally set date, which fell on a Sunday. Some 51 parties are eligible to run candidates in the legislative elections, due to having won sufficient votes to surpass eligibility thresholds in previous local elections. Indonesia's legislature is currently debating the threshold that political parties would have to pass in the April 5 legislative elections in order to be eligible to run candidates in the July 2009 presidential elections.

Source: ElectionGuide

Ex-rebel 'ahead' in Aceh election

Posted: 12/11/2006
A former rebel leader is on course to win historic elections in Aceh in Indonesia, early voting samples suggest.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Indonesia MPs back Aceh autonomy

Posted: 07/11/2006
The Indonesian parliament unanimously passes a new law giving more autonomy to Aceh province.

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Indonesia Announces Preliminary Results for Second Round of Presidential Election

Posted: 09/21/2004
On September 20, voters went to the polls for the second round of presidential elections. According to the preliminary results issued by the General Election Commission (KPU), voter turnout was estimated at about 80.  With 15.52% of the votes counted, Democratic Party candidate Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO had secured 60.72% of the valid votes. His challenger incumbent President MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) had secured 39.28% of the valid votes. Pre-election polls and a parallel vote tabulation following voting indicate that YUDHOYONO should comfortably secure victory in the second round.

Source: ElectionGuide

Indonesia's Supreme Court Rejects Presidential Candidate's Lawsuit

Posted: 08/10/2004
On August 9, Indonesia’s Constitutional Court rejected Golkar presidential candidate WIRANTO’s lawsuit claiming that more than five million votes were lost during the July presidential election vote counting. The next day, Indonesia’s Supreme Court rejected Wiranto’s appeal. Wiranto said he would accept the Constitutional Court’s ruling, clearing the way for a September 20 run-off election between the two top presidential candidates, Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO and incumbent President MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri.

Source: ElectionGuide

Presidential Candidate Issues Demand to Indonesian Court for Review of Election Results

Posted: 08/03/2004
Former general and Golkar presidential candidate WIRANTO issued a demand in the Indonesian court for a review of the election results. According to his lawyers, there were reports of irregularities at the polling stations, giving WIRANTO only 22.15% of the country’s nearly 118.7 million valid votes.  According to the current figures of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO of the Democratic Party and incumbent President MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secured 33.57% and 26.61% of the valid votes respectively. They will advance to the second round of elections to be held on September 20.

Source: ElectionGuide

Indonesia Announces Preliminary Results for Presidential Elections

Posted: 07/06/2004
On July 5, voters were called to the polls to elect a new president. According to preliminary results, Democratic Party candidate Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO secured 15,419,780 valid votes while Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) candidate and incumbent President MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri came in second with 12,290,022 votes. Other candidates include General WIRANTO of the Golkar Party with 10,182,081 votes; Amien RAIS of the National Mandate Party (PAN) with 6,618,954 votes and Hamzah HAZ of the United Development Party (PPP) secured the remaining 1,488,224 of the counted valid votes. Election officials announced that the final results will take another 10 days to validate as approximately 148 million of the country’s 155 million voters participated in the polls. The preliminary results suggest a run-off election may be held on September 20.

Source: ElectionGuide

Indonesia Announces Preliminary Results of Parliamentary Elections

Posted: 04/06/2004
On April 5, voters went to the polls to elect new members of Indonesia’s parliament. According to preliminary results, President MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has received 19% of the votes counted, while former president Abdurrahman WAHID’s National Awakening Party came in second with 18% and the Federation of Functional Groups (Golkar) has 15%. Official results will not be available until April 28; only 1% of the votes have been counted.

Source: ElectionGuide

Indonesia Announces Presidential Election Date of July 5

Posted: 09/02/2003
On August 29, the Indonesian government decided that it will hold its presidential elections on July 5, 2004.  This election will allow voters to directly elect the president for the first time. Previously, the president was elected by members of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR). Under the new electoral guidelines, presidential candidates must secure a 50% majority vote in order to secure the presidency or two of the top candidates must enter a run off election on September 20, 2004.  Final approval of the election dates will take place September 2.

Source: ElectionGuide

Indonesian Parliament Passes Law to Allow Incumbent President to Run

Posted: 07/08/2003
The Indonesian parliament passed a law on July 7 that would allow incumbent president Megawati UKARNOPUTRI to run as a candidate in the presidential elections. The law specifies that individuals who have a high school diploma and  those who are defendants in an ongoing court case are allowed to run for office. These provisions would allow SUKARNOPUTRI to participate based on her educational background and would also permit parliamentary speaker Akbar TANJUNG to participate despite facing corruption charges.  Indonesia's presidential elections, which will allow voters to elect a president for the first time, will take place sometime after April 5, 2004.

Source: ElectionGuide

New Indonesian President Sworn in

Posted: 07/27/2001
Megawati Sukarnoputri was sworn in as Indonesia's new president on July23, 2001, in Jakarta. Megawati replaces Abdurraham Wahid who was dismissedby the People's Consultative Assembly on grounds of corruption andincompetence. Hamzah Haz was elected Vice President by the Assembly onJuly 26, 2001.

Source: ElectionGuide

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