For months leading up to Indonesia’s presidential elections in February, and in the weeks since, a good number of talking heads have been trying to parse whether President-elect Prabowo Subianto’s victory would signal a decline in Indonesia’s democracy or a victory for pluralism – or whether things would remain pretty much the same as before. … Read more
Indonesians went to the polls on February 14 to elect a new president and vice president, with some 204 million of the country’s 270 million population registered to vote. Ahead of the election, which was the single largest one-day election of its kind in the world, there had been some fears that polling stations could … Read more
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto held a commanding lead in early, unofficial tallies of Indonesia’s presidential race Wednesday, potentially putting the former general on a path to claim victory in a three-way race to lead the world’s third-largest democracy. The 72-year-old candidate is a link to the brutal period of dictatorship that ended just over 25 … Read more
Indonesians hold on to the belief that elections are a pesta demokrasi – a celebration of democracy – which dates back to the military regime, before the 1998 political reform. Yes, a celebration is exciting, but that’s where the energy ends. You may be invited to a wedding party, but it’s their marriage, not yours. … Read more