The Indonesian people will head to the polls on February 14 for what is being referred to as a “festival of democracy”. This election will not only decide a new president and vice president, but also parliamentary and local representatives, in what is the world’s largest single-day election. With over 204 million registered voters out of Indonesia’s 270 million population, turnout is expected to be high, as it was at 81 percent in the last election in 2019.
There are 18 national political parties competing for 575 parliamentary seats. This election will mark the first change in leadership in 10 years as current President Joko Widodo has served the maximum two terms in office.
There are three presidential and vice presidential pairings vying for the top jobs. These include Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD, and Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin Iskandar.
The main election issues include cost of living, employment, human rights, and democratic decline. The election process will take place across three time zones, with more than 820,000 polling stations, and results are expected to be announced within 35 days.
The candidates need 50 percent of the overall vote and at least 20 percent of votes in each province in order to claim victory. If no candidate reaches the 50 percent threshold, a second round of elections will take place on June 26. The new president will be inaugurated in October.