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With Eyes on Presidential Race, Indonesians Vote for Parliament Indonesian Opposition Leads in Early Results of Voting
(about 3 hours later)
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Tens of millions of Indonesians went to the polls on Wednesday for nationwide legislative elections, the results of which will determine the final candidates for a highly anticipated presidential election in July. JAKARTA, Indonesia — Out of power for the last 10 years, Indonesia’s largest opposition party was leading unofficial vote tallies from Wednesday’s national legislative elections, the outcome of which will determine the final candidates for a highly anticipated presidential election in July.
More than 187 million people were registered to vote at more than 450,000 polling stations on more than 7,000 islands across the vast Indonesian Archipelago; along with the presidential vote, it is the largest single-day election in the world. (India’s national election, now underway, involves more voters but takes place over several weeks.) Voter turnout was expected to be more than 70 percent, according to analysts. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, led by former President Megawati Sukarnoputri, was garnering around 20 percent of the vote in a 12-party contest, according to initial results from separate quick counts of official results conducted by Saiful Mujani Research, and a joint count conducted by the Jakarta-based Center for Strategic and International Studies and Cyrus Network.
Twelve political parties are competing for seats in the national House of Representatives and provincial and district legislatures, as well as the Regional Representative Council, a second national parliamentary body that proposes and advises on bills related to Indonesia’s many far-flung regions. The party, popularly known as the P.D.I.P., has not placed first in an election since 1999, when Indonesia held its first free and fair polls in more than 40 years. The P.D.I.P.'s declared presidential candidate is Joko Widodo, the popular governor of Jakarta, who is leading in national polls and has promised a “more people-centric” style of governance in a country that, while belonging to the Group of 20 major economies, still has more than 100 million people living on $2 a day or less.
The biggest prize from Wednesday’s vote is the House of Representatives, where the results will have direct bearing on the presidential election. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono cannot seek a third term, meaning Indonesians will choose a new leader for the first time in 10 years. Under Indonesia’s complex presidential nominating system, a party must win 20 percent of the 560-seat national House of Representatives, or 25 percent of the popular vote, to nominate a presidential candidate, or it may form a coalition with other parties to reach either threshold.
Under Indonesia’s complex presidential nominating system, a party must win 20 percent of the House’s 560 seats, or 25 percent of the popular vote, to nominate a presidential candidate, or it may form a coalition with other parties to reach either threshold. While final official results could ultimately push the P.D.I.P. past the 20 percent threshold on its own, analysts said the party would regardless try to form a coalition that controls 51 percent of the House to contest the July presidential election.
Respected national polls indicate that the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle is in the lead and will pass the 20 percent threshold on its own. Its declared presidential candidate is Joko Widodo, the popular governor of Jakarta, who is also leading in national polls and has promised a “more people-centric” style of governance in a country that, while belonging to the Group of 20 major economies, still has more than 100 million people living on $2 a day or less. The early tallies also showed the Golkar party, the political vehicle of the late, autocratic President Suharto, battling for second place with 14 percent of the vote against the opposition Great Indonesia Movement Party, known as Gerindra, with around 12 percent.
Mr. Joko’s main rival, opinion polls indicate, is Prabowo Subianto, a former army general and leader of the opposition Great Indonesia Movement Party, who is touting grass-roots welfare programs, protectionist economic policies and what he says would be decisive leadership. Mr. Joko’s main rival, opinion polls have indicated, is Prabowo Subianto, a former army general and leader of Gerindra, who is promoting ng grassroots welfare programs, protectionist economic policies and what he says would be decisive leadership.
Mr. Prabowo also rails against Indonesia’s political elite, claiming that they are selling out the country to foreign business interests.Mr. Prabowo also rails against Indonesia’s political elite, claiming that they are selling out the country to foreign business interests.
“If you want us to become your servant, I say no, no, no,” he declared last month at a rally at Jakarta’s main soccer stadium to kick off the official legislative election campaign.“If you want us to become your servant, I say no, no, no,” he declared last month at a rally at Jakarta’s main soccer stadium to kick off the official legislative election campaign.
Polls indicate that Mr. Prabowo’s party, known as Gerindra, is in third place and will probably need to form a coalition with smaller secular-nationalist parties — or even Islamic-based parties — to reach the nominating threshold. The Golkar party, the political vehicle of the late, autocratic President Suharto, is running in second place, the polls indicate, but its declared presidential candidate, Aburizal Bakrie, is trailing Mr. Joko and Mr. Prabowo. The quick counts indicated that Mr. Prabowo may be compelled to form a coalition with other secular-nationalist parties — or even willing Islamic-based parties — that finish lower just to reach the nominating threshold.
Golkar’s showing in the early results also suggest that it may be able to put a coalition together, but its declared presidential candidate, Aburizal Bakrie, is trailing far behind Mr. Joko and Mr. Prabowo, according to respected opinion polls.
“If Prabowo’s not on the ballot, he will try to torpedo Widodo’s presidency with a very loud argument about the democratic process and had he been on the ballot, he would have one,” said Marcus Mietzner, a senior lecturer at Australian National University.
More than 187 million people were registered to vote at more than 450,000 polling stations on more than 7,000 islands across the vast Indonesian Archipelago. Voter turnout was expected to be more than 70 percent, according to analysts.
Twelve political parties are competing for seats in the House of Representatives and provincial and district legislatures, as well as the Regional Representative Council, a second national parliamentary body that proposes and advises on bills related to Indonesia’s many far-flung regions.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono cannot seek a third term, meaning Indonesians will be choosing a new leader for the first time in 10 years.
Voting was orderly on the top floor of a traditional market in South Jakarta that was converted into a polling station for the day, with residents only complaining about the multiple separate ballots for the various races. Sitting at a table smoking a cigarette as he waited for his name to be called to get his ballots, Eko Sukarso, 42, said he would vote for Gerindra.Voting was orderly on the top floor of a traditional market in South Jakarta that was converted into a polling station for the day, with residents only complaining about the multiple separate ballots for the various races. Sitting at a table smoking a cigarette as he waited for his name to be called to get his ballots, Eko Sukarso, 42, said he would vote for Gerindra.
“I’m hoping for change — something new,” he said. “My heart says support Prabowo. He’s more assertive, strong.”“I’m hoping for change — something new,” he said. “My heart says support Prabowo. He’s more assertive, strong.”
At a separate polling station in the nearby Menteng Dalam subdistrict, where President Obama once lived as a child, Ruswati, 52, who like many Indonesians has one name, said she would vote for Mr. Yudhoyono’s governing Democratic Party.At a separate polling station in the nearby Menteng Dalam subdistrict, where President Obama once lived as a child, Ruswati, 52, who like many Indonesians has one name, said she would vote for Mr. Yudhoyono’s governing Democratic Party.
“My husband is a civil servant, so I think it’s best for our family to support continuing the policies for public welfare,” Mrs. Ruswati, wearing a batik dress and a jilbab, or head scarf, said while waiting for a friend to finish voting. Mrs. Ruswati’s pinkie finger had been marked with indelible ink to show that she had cast her ballot.“My husband is a civil servant, so I think it’s best for our family to support continuing the policies for public welfare,” Mrs. Ruswati, wearing a batik dress and a jilbab, or head scarf, said while waiting for a friend to finish voting. Mrs. Ruswati’s pinkie finger had been marked with indelible ink to show that she had cast her ballot.
Mrs. Ruswati said she felt so overwhelmed by the numerous photographs of candidates on each ballot that she decided to vote only for women wearing jilbabs.Mrs. Ruswati said she felt so overwhelmed by the numerous photographs of candidates on each ballot that she decided to vote only for women wearing jilbabs.
“I think they represent my religion,” she said.“I think they represent my religion,” she said.
Gandi Taufik, a 35-year-old carpenter, said he was voting for Mr. Joko’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle because of its traditional pluralist values. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, but it has influential minority Christian, Hindu and Buddhist citizens.Gandi Taufik, a 35-year-old carpenter, said he was voting for Mr. Joko’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle because of its traditional pluralist values. Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, but it has influential minority Christian, Hindu and Buddhist citizens.
“P.D.I.P. will be good for the unity of Indonesia,” Mr. Gandi said, referring to the opposition party by its Indonesian initials. Otherwise, he said, “I’m afraid we’ll have religious conflicts, like in the Middle East.” “P.D.I.P. will be good for the unity of Indonesia,” Mr. Gandi said. Otherwise, he said, “I’m afraid we’ll have religious conflicts, like in the Middle East.”