Indonesian presidential election

[politicus]

The worlds third largest democracy will be electing a new President on July 9. The currenct one is term limited.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesian_presidential_election,_2014

Do we got some resident experts on Indonesia?

[politicus]

Yesterday Jakarta governor and leading presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo made  popular former vice president Yusuf Kalla (72) his running mate which will likely strenghten his credibility with the business comunity.

Jokowi is leading national opinion polls pretty big and is backed by Nasdem, PKB and Hanura Party and former president Megawati Sukarnoputri’s PDIP.

Meanwhile Golkar, Indonesias second-largest party, unexpectedly backed his main challenger.  Even if its party chairman and business tycoon Aburizal Bakrie said just last week he would cooperate with Jokowi's coalition.

They decided yesterday to back Jokowi's only rival for the presidency, former General Prabowo Subianto. The move comes despite signs late last week that the party was preparing to back Jokowi. Kalla is also from Golkar Party, so he might help split their vote.
 
Subianto has announced his running mate will be current economics minister Hatta Rajasa. Subianto is an ex commander in the infamous Kopassus special forces and former son-in-law of ex-dictator Suharto and has been accused of human rights abuses in East Timor in the 1980s.
 

 

[politicus]

Thus the Suharto-Gen. can rely on the Dem.P.?

Yes.


I see we have this https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=185433.0, but it is a single post thread, so I will let this one stay.

Apparently we never discussed the parliamentary election i April.

You need 20% of the seats in parliament or 25% of the votes to field a candidate, which is why there are only two candidates, backed by such heterogeneous coalitions.

[politicus]

Seats in parliament. Just for comparison.

1. Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan, PDI–P 109
Poulist and nationalist. Megawati Sukarnoputris party.
 
2. Party of the Functional Groups (Partai Golongan Karya, Golkar) 91
Suhartos old party.


3. Great Indonesia Movement Party (Partai Gerakan Indonesia Raya, Gerindra) 73
Political vehicle of ex Generals.
 
4. Democratic Party (Partai Demokrat, PD) 61
The current Presidents party.
 

5. National Mandate Party (Partai Amanat Nasional, PAN) 49
Islamists
 

6. National Awakening Party (Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa, PKB) 47
Conservative Islamist from the influential Natdlatul Ulama movement.


7. Prosperous Justice Party (Partai Keadilan Sejahtera, PKS) 40
Islamists
 

8. United Development Party (Partai Persatuan Pembangunan, PPP) 39
Old Islamist party dating back to the Suharto era.
 

9. Nasdem Party (Partai Nasdem, Nasdem) 35
Tool of media tycoon Surya Paloh, who is ex  Golkar

10. People's Conscience Party (Partai Hati Nurani Rakyat, Hanura) 16
General Wirantos party.
 

Total 560


Subianto is from Gerindra and supported by DC and Golkar and the trade unions in KSPI.

[politicus]

hey...I am Indonesian..nice to see this thread..=)

The only one AFAIK, so destined to become our resident expert on the subject . Welcome to the forum!

Why do the trade unions in KSPI back Subianto? Jokowi would seem like a more labour friendly candidate.