78
2014 Elections in Indonesia Final Report by Rumah Pemilu www.rumahpemilu.org December 2014

2014 Elections in Indonesia Final Report by Rumah Pemilu · 2014 Elections in Indonesia Final Report by Rumah Pemilu ... • Strengthen polling stationprocedures and training for

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

2014 Elections in IndonesiaFinal Report by Rumah Pemilu

www.rumahpemilu.orgDecember 2014

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

December 2014

c

i Executivesummaryii KeyRecommendationsiii Preface

1 PART I - Election preparation1 The2009election1 The2014electorallegalframework3 TherenewedKPU3 Partyregistration5 Thevoterlist

11 PART II - The legislative election11 Votereducation12 Understandingvotingprocedures12 Revisionstothevotinglist14 Electionmanagement15 Campaigningandmedia15 Civilsociety17 Securitysituation17 ElectionDay18 Logistics19 Votecounting20 The nokensystem21 Quickcounts21 Officialresultsandseatallocation22 Disputeresolution24 Thefinalresults

27 PART III - The presidential election27 Theelectorallegalframeworkandcandidateregistration27 Theroleofpoliticalpartiesandthecampaign28 Media28 Presidentialdebates29 Securityconcerns30 Out-of-countryvoting31 Electionday34 Presidentialquickcounts36 Electionadministration37 Theroleofcivilsociety38 Recapitulationofvotes40 Officialresults40 Disputeresolution

Table of Contents

d

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

49 PART IV – Recommendations for future 49 elections49 Post-electionissues53 Lessonslearnedfrom2014andrecommendationsforfutureElections

57 List of Acronyms and References59 ListofAcronyms62 References

i

Executive summaryIn2014,Indonesiasuccessfullyimplementeditslegislativeandpresidentialelectionsinaneffective,credible,andpeacefulmanner.Bydoingso, thecountry renewed its legislatureanddemocraticallychoseitsheadofstate.Whiletheelectoralcycleretainsmanyimperfections,itisaneventwithwhichthecountrycanbejustifiablyproudonly15yearsafteremergingfrommorethanthreedecadesofau-thoritarianrule.Theseelectoraleventswereaclearimprovementovertheflawed2009pollsandhavebuiltasolidfoundationforfutureelections.

With135millionvotescast,Indonesiaisnowhometotheworld’slargestone-dayelection,justaheadoftheUnitedStates.Thisvibrantandpromisingdemocracyhas,withits2014elections,takenadeci-sivestepforwardinitsprocessofdemocraticconsolidation.On22July,Indonesia’sGeneralElectionCommission(KomisiPemilihanUmum–KPU)declaredJoko“Jokowi”WidodothewinneroftheJuly9presidentialelection.Jokowireceived71millionoutof135million(53.15percent)validvotescastfora6.3percentmarginofvictoryoverhisopponent.1Histicket,withJusufKallaasthevicepresidentialcandidate,receivedamajorityin23of33provinces.Quickcountsfromeightcredibleandtrustedpoll-ingorganizationstrackedcloselywiththeofficialresult.Theresultwasalsoconfirmedbydatafromacrowd-sourcedresult-trackingwebsite-agroundbreakingcitizen’sinitiativethatcompileddatafrommillionspagesofpollingstationresultscertificatespostedonline.Thiscitizens’websitedatabolsteredthecredibilityoftheofficialresultandhighlightedtheimportanceofsuchnon-governmentaleffortsforensuringtransparencyandaccountability.TheConstitutionalCourt’scompleterejectionofallelec-tionchallengesbythePrabowo-Hattaticketon21Augustmadetheresultfinalandbinding.JokowiwassworninasIndonesia’sseventhpresidenton20October.

Thequalityofthe2014legislativeandpresidentialelectionswasdemonstrablymuchbetterthanpastevents.Anarcanedecentralizedvoterregisterwasconsolidatedintotheworld’s largestcentralized,computerizedvoterregistrationsystem,namedSIDALIH,whichdeliveredfarbetter lists than inthepast.ElectionDayorganizationsawfewsignificanttechnicalshortcomings,generallyallowingallIndo-nesianstofreelyexercisetheirrighttovote.Participationwashighwith75percentturnoutfortheleg-islativepollsand70percentforthepresidentialvote.Electionsunfoldedinacelebratoryenvironmentwithneighborhoodscomingtogetheratabouthalfamillion2pollingstations,conductingboththevoteandthecounttransparentlyinfrontofthecommunity.Notably,theprocesssawnegligibleviolence.

However,theseelectionswerenotwithouttheirflawsandsubstantialpossibilitiesforfutureimprove-mentsareevident.Thehotlycontestedpresidentialelectionsawseriouscampaignviolationsandtheintroductionofmuchmoresophisticatedcampaign techniques, suchasan increase invotebuying,openlynegativeattacks,andorganizedslander.Therewerenumerousanddiverseproceduralmistakesinthevote,countandtabulation.Althoughnoneofthesemistakessystemicallyaffectedtheresultonewayortheother,theycollectivelyhighlighttheneedfortighterproceduresandbettertrainingofthe4millionpollingstationofficialsaswellastheneedtoreplacethearcanemanualresultstabulationprocesswithamodernelectronicelectionresultsystemthatcanproduceofficialresultswithinseveraldays.Forlegislativeelectionstheelectoratewaited30daysfortheofficialresultsand13daysforthepresidentialelectionresults.

1 Jokowireceived71of133.5millionvalidvotes-135millionisthetotalvotescastincludinginvalidvotes.2 545,803pollingstationsforlegislativeand477,291pollingstationsforpresidentialelections.Thediscrepancyresults

fromconsolidationofupto500votersperpollingstationinlegislativeelectionstoupto800votersperpollingstationduringthepresidentialelection.

ii

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

Theelectoraldisputeresolutionprocessandthepossibilitytohavecomplaintsheardarefundamentalpartsofahealthydemocracy,andwiththeexceptionofoneminorscufflebetweenpoliceandsomePrabowo-Hatta supporters, it is a credit to Indonesia thatelectoraldisputeswere resolvedentirelywithintheboundsoftheappropriate institutions.Thecourthandeddownits4392-pageverdicton21August,findingnoevidenceofmassive,systematic,orstructuralproblemswiththeelection(a300pagesummaryoftheverdictwasreadinatelevisedcourtsession).Thiswasmirroredinsimilarver-dictsforthelegislativeelections.ThesewerelandmarkverdictsforIndonesiandemocracythathaveallowedforthecreationofanewandmaturetraditionofpresidentialtransitionbetweenincumbentandpresident-elect.Withpost-electionpollsshowingahighlevelofconfidenceamongvotersintheinstitutionsandtheresult,Indonesiansarelookingtowardsthefuturewithincreasedoptimism.Theworld’sfourth-largestcountryisbesetwithgreatchallenges;however,throughthe2014electioncycle,theIndonesianpublicelectedwithcertaintytheleaderstheyfeelbestsuitedtothechallengesahead.

Key RecommendationsOverall,theconductofthe2014electoralcyclehasbeenregardedasasuccess.However,roomforimprovementremainsinanumberofaspectsoftheelectioncycle.Inordertoaddresstheshortcom-ings,andcontinuealongapositivetrajectoryof improvement,anumberofrecommendationshaveemerged,including:

• MaintainandimprovetheSIDALIHsystem,whichhasbeensuccessfulinsignificantlyimprovingthequalityofthevoterlistcomparedtopreviouselections.

• Reform, strengthen,and consolidateelectoral framework, forexample,bypromulgatinganomnibuselectionlawwhichmergesseveralexistingelectorallegislationsintooneinordertostreamline regulations, remove inconsistencies, and improve theeaseof procedural imple-mentation.

• Implementacomputerizedresultmanagementsystem(e-recap)whichproducestransparentandcredibleelectionresultsatalllevelswithindaysaftertheElectionDay.E-recapshouldbedevelopedandimplementedtoreplacethearcane,slow,manualsystemcurrentlyinplace.

• ContinuetheprovisionoftransparencybythescanningofC1resultforms(resultformcom-pletedateachpollingstation)anduploadingthemtoKPU’swebsiteforpublicaccessandim-proveitsqualitybyestablishingclearregulationsforthistoensureitsconsistency.

• Strengthenpollingstationproceduresandtrainingforpollworkersonconductingthevotingusingthecurrentpaperballotsystem;andoptimizetheuseofthehighlytransparentandtrust-edmanualcountatpollingstationsinfrontofthelocalcommunity.Theuseofelectronicvotingmachines(EVMore-voting)woulddiscontinuethisgreattradition,thusshouldbeavoided.

• Improveperformanceofadhocelectionworkersinvariouslevelsbyimplementingopenre-cruitmenttorecruitthebestpersonnel,aswellasensureequalgenderrepresentation.Afteraperiodoftheirperformance,implementastreamlinedevaluationforallelectoralstaffandstoreevaluationresultsinacentralizeddatabasetoimprovefuturerecruitment.

iii

• Comprehensively reform the civil service and significantly improve the work ethic, perfor-mance,andcapacityofthehumanresourcesand,consequently,organizationalfunctionofthebureaucracyinvolvedinelectionmanagement.

• StreamlineIndonesia’selectoralcycleandcalendarbyorganizingelectionsintotwoseparateevents:onenationalelectionandoneregionalelection,heldtwo-and-a-halfyearapartfromoneanother.Theregionalelectionwouldincludeelectionsofgovernors,mayors,regents,andmembersoftheregional legislature(DPRD);whilethenationalelectionwouldincludeelec-tionsofthepresident/vice-presidentandthenationallegislatures(HouseofRepresentatives/DPRandthesenate/DPD).

• Establishawell-trainedandwell-resourcedspecializedelectoralcourttohandleandresolveelectiondisputesinatransparentandtrustedmannerwhichwillimprovetheelectoraldisputeresolutionprocesses.

• AddresstheprevalentpracticeofmoneypoliticsbystrengtheningoversightbyBawasluandimplementingastricterrequirementtoreportandauditcampaignincomeandcampaignex-penditures.PublicfinancingoftheelectioncanalsobeasolutionimplementedtominimizetheimpactofmoneyinIndonesianelections.

• Conduct stronger voter education and/or election evaluation efforts to minimize the highnumberofinvalidvotes.Thenumberofinvalidvotescastinthe2014LegislativeElectionwas14,601,436(around10percentofthetotalballotsused)whileforthe2014PresidentialElec-tionwas1,379,690(1.02percent).

• Addresstheincreasingconcernregardingwholesalevote-buyingperpetratedthroughthetra-ditionofproxyvotingbytribal leaders(forexample,thenokenpracticeinthePapuanhigh-lands). Such practices should end in order to protect voters’ fundamental right to vote aschampionedbythedemocraticstate.

PrefaceThispaperisnotafinalreportofasystematicElectionDayobservation.Itisbasedontwoinitialcom-mentarieswrittenimmediatelyafterthelegislativeandpresidentialelectionsinAprilandJuly2014,respectively.Thesedocumentsbroughttogetheropensourcematerialaswellasthe insightsofna-tionalandinternationalelectionexpertstocreateamorecompletetechnicalsummaryofkeyissuesofthiselectoralcycle.Whileitinvariablytouchesonmanypoliticalissues,thepaperisnotmeanttobeapoliticalanalysisoftheseelections,butratheramoretechnicaldocumenttoaiddiscussionoffuturereformoftheelectoralprocessinIndonesia.Thiscommentaryisprovidedasanon-paper.Recipientsarewelcometosharewithintheirorganization,tocopyorparaphrasetext,butnottoattributeordis-tributefurther.

PART I Election preparation

Source:www.beritadaerah.co.id

1

PART I - Election preparation

The 2009 electionNationalelectionswereheldforthelegislaturein1999underIndonesia’soldconstitutionandthen,after a process of constitutional amendment,werecombinedwithdirectpresidentialelectionsin 2004 and 2009. The 2009 elections were re-garded as widely flawed, having fallen short ofimportantbasicstandardsofdemocraticelector-alperformance,andwereorganizedinanadhocmanner.Theaccessibilityandqualityoftheelec-toral process varied widely across the country.Adelayedandpoorlycrafted legal framework,alackofresourcesandadysfunctionalvoterregis-tryallcontributedtoasub-standardprocess.

The 2014 electoral legal frameworkThelegalframeworkgoverningdemocraticrepresentationinvolvesfivelawsandanumberofsubordi-nateregulations.Significantrevisionsweremadeforthiselectioncyclethataffectedtheelectoralandpoliticalenvironment,includingchangestoeligibilityrules,supervision,votingprocedures,andcounting.

Changestothelawhadtheimpactofdecreasingthenumberofpartiescontestingtheseelections.LawNo.8/2012governinglegislativeelectionsrequiredthateachpoliticalpartyundergoaregistrationandverificationprocesswiththeKPUtoruninagivenelection.In2009,therewere38nationalpoliticalpartiesontheballotandanadditionalsixAcehnesepoliticalpartiesthatcompetedinAcehonly.NinepoliticalpartieswonseatsintheDPR.Afterthe2009election,theseninepoliticalpartiesamendedtheelectorallawsandsetamuchhigherbarforregistering,competingandwinningseats.Thesebarriersarehighbyinternationalnorms.Apoliticalpartymusthavechaptersinall33provinces(permanentofficerequired),inatleast75percentofthe497regencies/municipalities(permanentofficerequired),andinatleast50percentofthe6,700sub-districts(permanentofficenotrequired).Forthe2014elec-tion,46politicalpartiesappliedforregistration,butaftertheKPUstrictlyappliedthesecriteriacreatedbythelegislatureonly12nationalpoliticalpartiesandthreeAcehneselocalpoliticalpartiesmadeitontotheballots.

ThethresholdtoobtainseatsintheDPR,DPRDProvinceandDPRDRegency/Municipality,wasraisedforthe2014electionsbyLawNo.8/2012from2.5percenttoanewlevelof3.5percent.ThenewthresholdwaschallengedintheConstitutionalCourtandupheldfortheallocationofseatsintheDPR,butwasabolishedforlegislaturesattheprovincialandregency/municipallevel.Thecourt’sdecisionshouldberegardedasapositivestepthatwillincreasetheinclusivenessoflocallegislaturesandre-ducethepotentialforpost-electionconflict.

Source:KPU-RI

2

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

In2011,abodyuniquetoIndonesiawascreatedtodealwiththeethicaloversightofelectionman-agementbodiesbyLawNo.15/2011(onelectionmanagementbodies).TheHonoraryCouncilofElec-tionManagementBodies(DewanKehormatanPenyelenggaraPemilu–DKPP)isanational-levelethicscouncilestablishedtoreviewanddecideuponcomplaintsand/orreportsofallegedethicsviolationscommittedbymembersoftheKPUandBawaslu.TheDKPPevolvedintoanindependentbodyafterpoliticalpartiesfeltitsinstitutionalpredecessor,aninternalKPUdepartment,wasincapableofdealingfirmlyandindependentlywithethicsviolationsamongKPUcommissioners.

The DKPP has a forceful presence in the electoralenvironment. By 12 December 2014, the DKPP haddismissed 180 members of provincial and regency/municipallevelKPUandBawaslu3.Whileitcautionedmembersofthenational-levelKPUandBawaslu,noneweredismissed.UnderthechairmanshipofJimlyAs-shiddiqie, the foundingchief justiceof theConstitu-tionalCourt,thethreatofdismissalwasoftenpubliclywielded and this undermined the confidenceof theelectionmanagementbodiestotakeinitiative.Underthelaw,theDKPP’srulingsarefinalandbinding.However,oneofthedismissedofficialschallengedtheDKPP’sauthorityintheConstitutionalCourt.InMarch2014,thecourtruledthatofficialsdismissedasaresultofDKPP’srecommendationscanfileappealswiththeStateAdministrativeCourt(PTUN),whichcanissuefinalrulingsonindividualcases.

Therewereanumberof changes tovoting regulations thataltered theoperational conductof theelection.First,theKPUdecidedtoreturntopunchingballots(mencoblos),asmandatedbyLawNo.8/2012,ratherthanmarkingthepaperwithapen(mencontreng).Returningtotheoldsystemwasapositivemovethatseemstohavedecreasedtheextraordinarilyhighnumberofinvalidballotsseenin2009.Inlinewithinternationaltrends,theKPUissuedguidanceforthiselectiontoensurethatifavoter’sintentionwasclear,thenthevoteshouldbecounted.Therewasalsoalateinstructiontopoll-ingstationofficialstotryandrestricttheuseofmobiletelephoneswithcamerasinpollingboothsasapreventativemeasureagainstvote-buying.Theefficacyorimpactofthislastminutechangewasnotreadilyapparent.

Whilenotanactuallegalchange,thestrictapplicationoftheelectionlawbythecurrentKPUboost-edthenumberoffemalecandidatesinthiselection.Observersnotedthatthisyear,35-40percentofthecandidatesonpoliticalparties’ticketswerefemaleastheexistingprovisiondirectingthatatleasteverythirdcandidatewasfemalewasenforced.Byslightlyoverachievingthequota,politicalpartiesprovidedthemselvesabufferorasafeguardagainstwomenwithdrawingandinadvertentlydisqualifyingthewholeslate.ThereisahighlevelofsupportforwomenrunningforofficeinIndo-nesia,withtheDecember2013LSI-IFESsurveyreportingthat83percentofrespondentssupportedwomen servingas legislators.4 In the same survey,62percentofmenand60percentofwomensupportedthegenderquotaforpartylists.TheKPUinitiallydisqualifiedsomepoliticalparties’can-didatesinsomedistrictsbecausetheirlistslackedasufficientnumberoffemalecandidates–theywereallowedtoclearuptheirlistsandgetbackintherace.Atotalof97womenwereelectedto

3 GustiSawabi.18December2014.“IniDaerahPengaduanTerbanyakolehDKPP”.Tribun News. http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2014/12/18/ini-daerah-pengaduan-terbanyak-oleh-dkpp

4 LembagaSurveiIndonesia(LSI)-IFESPre-electionsurveywith1890respondentsandmarginoferror±2.3%;Dec.2013

Source:KPU-RI

3

theDPR,whichisslightlydownfrom103in2004.However,thisremainsclosetotheglobalandtheregionalaverageandhasbeenachievedwithouttheuseofreservedseats–femalecandidateswontheirseatsinopencompetition.

Duringthisnationalelectioncyclenoken votingwasonceagainusedinPapua.Whilethisproxy/com-munityvoting(inwhichacommunityleadercastsallvotesonbehalfofthecommunity)violatesmanyelectoralprinciples,theConstitutionalCourtuphelditsvalidityinthreedecisionsbetween2009and20125quotingtheneedtorespectandpreservetherightsofcommunitiestoupholdtraditions.Thenoken systemisdiscussedingreaterdetailbelow.

The renewed KPUAstrongersetofKPUcommissionerschargedwithimplementingtheelectionseemtohavenoticeablyimprovedelectionadministrationin2014.Collectively,themembersofthe2012-2017commissionhadextensiveexperienceinadministeringelectionsattheprovinciallevelaswellaswithelectoralreformduringthereformasi period.

Party registrationDuringthe2009election,Indonesianvotersenjoyeda multitude of choice with parties representing arange of agendas and objectives.While the abilityofpartiesandcandidatestospeakfreely,distributeliterature and campaign remainedundiminished in2014, changes to the election laws for this year’selections shrank the number of parties eligible tocompetefrom38to12.

Thepoliticalpartyregistrationprocessisoneofthemostcrucialaspectsinanelectioncycle,asitdeter-minespoliticalparties’faithinthenextstepofelections.TheprocessattheKPUwasmarkedbyinsti-tutionalcompetitionforlegaljurisdictionamongEMBs,aswellaslegalbattlesbetweenpoliticalpartiesandtheKPUontheoutcomeof theprocess.However, thewillingnessonthepartofbothpoliticalpartiesandEMBstoutilizeavailablelegalavenuesinsettlingelectoraldisputesandtohonorcourtde-cisionsinthosedisputeswasapositivedevelopmentanddisplayedahighdegreeofpoliticalmaturity.

InMay2012,LawNo.8/2012onlegislativeelectionswasenacted.Article8(1)allowedpoliticalpartiesthatstoodinthepreviouselection(2009)andreceivedmorethan2.5percentofthevotetoautomati-callybedeclaredeligibletostandinthe2014election.Morethan17partiesfiledforajudicialreviewofthelawattheMK.InAugust,theMKannulledtheprovisionandrequiredallpoliticalpartiestoundergoverificationattheKPU.InSeptember2012,theKPUannouncedthat34outof46politicalpartiesthathadregisteredhadpassedtheadministrativeverificationprocessandwouldenterthesecondphaseoftheprocess,whichinvolvedafactualverificationofmembershipandotherlegalrequirements.InOctober,theKPUannouncedthatonly16outof34politicalparties,includingPKPIandPBB,hadpassedthesecondphaseandwerefullyeligibletocompeteintheelection.

5 ConstitutionalCourtRuling(CCR)Number47/81/PHPU.A/VII/2009,CCRNumber19/PHPU.D-IX/2011,CCRNumber3/PHPU.D-X/2012

Source:KPU-RI

4

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

Frustratedbytheoutcome,anumberofpartiesthathadbeendeclaredineligiblefiledcomplaintswithBawasluandtheDKPP,allegingtheKPUhaddeviatedfromthecodeofconductduringtheverificationprocess.Uponreview,theDKPPorderedtheKPUtoconductafactualverificationofthe18partiesthathadbeeneliminatedintheadministrativephaseofregistration.Followingtheconclusionofthefactualverificationprocess,theKPUfound10nationalparties(excludingPKPIandPBB)andthreeregionalpartiesinAcehwereeligibletocompeteintheelection.

InJanuary2013,partiesseekingtheirwayontotheballotadopt-edtwodifferentstrategiestoappealtheKPU’sruling.PKPIand14otherpartieschallengedtheKPU’sdecisionthroughBawas-lu,whilePBBlodgedanappealattheDKIJakartaAdministrativeHighCourt (PTTUN).Bawasluoverturned theKPU’sfinding inthecaseofPKPIandorderedKPUtoincludePKPIasaneligibleparty.However,theKPUrejectedBawaslu’sauthorityto issueafinalandbindingrulingonthematterandheldwithitspreviousfindingthatPKPIwasineligible.Inresponse,PKPIaskedtheSupremeCourt(MA)tosettlethedebateoverBawaslu’slegaljurisdiction,whilethe14otherpartieschangedtacticsandlodgedanappealattheDKIJakartaPTTUN.InaFebru-aryruling,thePTTUNoverturnedKPU’sfindingandorderedtheKPUtoincludePBBasaneligiblepartytocontestthe2014elections.However,the14otherpartieswereunsuccessfulintheirappeal.

InresponsetoPKPI’sappeal,theMAsidedwiththeKPUinfindingthatBawaslu’sdecisiononthere-sultsofthepoliticalpartyregistrationprocesswasnotfinalandbinding.PKPI,lookingtoPBB’ssuccess,thenlodgedanappealatthePTTUNtochallengetheKPU’sdecision.InMarch2013,thePTTUNruledthatPKPIwaseligibletocontestthe2014election.Ratherthanprolongtheprocesswithadditionalap-peals,theKPUacceptedtheruling,andclosedtheregistrationprocess.Intotal,12nationalandthreeregionalpoliticalpartieswereofficiallyregisteredandeligibletocompeteintheelection.

ThelawsconstrictthechoiceofIndonesianvotersandentrenchthepositionofthepartiesalreadyintheDPR.Whenthetoughregistrationrestrictionsarecombinedwiththehigherthreshold,thepositionofthemajorpartiesisreinforcedandsmallpartiesfindithardtocompete.PBBandPKPIwereaddedtothelistofregisteredpartiesafterwinninganappealattheStateAdministrativeCourttooverturntheKPU’sinitialrulingthatbothpartieshadfailedtomeeteligibilitycriteria.Despitethislegalvictory,theystruggledtobecompetitiveattheballotboxandneitherpartywonanyseatsinthenationallegislature.

“Moneypolitics”isaphraseusedinIndonesiatodescribeanumberofdifferentproblemsafflictingIn-donesia’spoliticalsystemincludingvote-buyingandelectoralfraud.TheDecember2013LSI-IFESsurveyreportedthat84percentofrespondentssaidtheyhadverylittleexperiencewithvote-buying.6Mediareportsclosertotheelectionhighlightedthepractice,includingreportsofcandidateshandingoutmoneyandhouseholdcommoditiesatrallies.Domesticobserverreportsfrom9AprilnotedthepracticewasnotuncommononElectionDay,withvotesbeingboughtforbetweenIDR10,000andIDR200,000(aboutUSD1toUSD20).Othersourcessaidinfluentialcommunityleaderswerepaidbypartiestogetoutthevoteontheirbehalfatparticularpollingstationsandpaidaccordingtothenumberofvotescast.

6 Ibid.

Partyregistration.Source:KPU-RI

5

Qualitativevoterattituderesearchinrecentyearshasshownthatevenifvoterstakemoneyorgiftsitdoesnotnecessarilyinfluencetheirchoice,andrichcandidatesdonotalwayswininIndonesia.Whilethe2009movetoanopen-listsystemreducedincentivesamongcandidatestobribetheirwaytothetopofthelist,analystsfearthattheopen-listsystemcreatesthepossibilityforelectoralfraudamongcandidatesfromthesameparty,throughthetransferofvotesfromonecandidatetoanother.Thesetransfersarefacilitatedbycorruptlocalelectionofficials.Somearguewomencandidatesareespeciallyvulnerabletosuchtacticsastheyoftenlackcampaignresources,politicalexperience,andinfluenceinpartystructurescomparedtotheirmalecounterparts.Vote-buyingemergedasthemostdominantflawofthiselectioncycle–onewhichwillrequiresignificantinterventioniftheintegrityofthesystemistobeprotected.

Campaignfinancereformisneededinthelongtermtobreakthedependenceofpartiesonrichbusi-nesspeopletogetelected,andtoreducerent-seekingbehavioronceinofficetofundpartynetworksandcampaigns.Whilepoliticallyunpopular,astrongersystemofpublicfinancingofpartieshasbeenfloatedbysomeaswaytonotonlyaddresstheissueofmoneypoliticsbuttodecreasethehighcostof running foroffice.Withpoliticalparties regardedasbeingamong themost corrupt institutions,financingcampaignsfromthestatebudgetisunlikelytoreceivestrongpublicsupport.Intermediatecampaignfinancereformcouldinvolvereinforcingtheexistingsystembystrengtheningreportingre-quirementsandenforcementbyelectionsupervisorybodies.Shifting the focus from fundraising toactual campaignexpenditureswouldbean important step forward, ifparties’ reportswerecloselyexamined,auditedagainsttheiractualactivities,andsubjecttostiffsanctionsforviolations.

The voter listThedevelopmentofthenationalvoterlistforthe2014electionwasasuccessstoryworthhighlighting.Thislisthasprovednotonlytobefunctionalforconductingthelegislativeandpresidentialelections,buttherewerealsonoseriouschallengestoitsintegrityorpost-electioncontroversies.Itwasastrongindicatorofimprovedelectionmanagementin2014.

ThelistdevelopedbytheKPUforthe2009electionturnedouttobesoflawedthatitwaslargelyaban-donedwhenitcametimetopreparethevoterregistryforthe2014polls.The2009listwasaprimaryexampleusedbymanytoshowhowthatelectionwaspoorlymanaged:Itwaspreparedlate,andreliedonunmanageableandinaccuratecivilregistrationdatafromtheMinistryofHomeAffairs(MoHA).Bylaw,theKPUwascompelledtobasethevoterlistonthisofficialpopulationdata.

In2013,theKPUwasmandatedbylawtodevelopthevoterlistbasedonthesamesub-standardMoHApopulationdata,butitwasalsoallowedtouseothersourcessuchasthevoterlistsestablishedduringpost-2009localelectionsasacrossreference.TheKPU’sfirstachievementwastosuccessfullycomput-erizeoftheproductionofthelist.TheIndonesianvoterlisthasgonefromamanualdecentralizedanddisorganizedvoterlisttoasingle,centrallylocated,securelystoredandshareddatabasethatprovidestheKPUwithnationwidecapacitytotrulymanagethedataandfundamentallyimprovethequalityofthevoterlist.TheVoterDataInformationSystem(Sistem Informasi Data Pemilih–SIDALIH)isnowtheworld’slargestnationalcentralizedvoterregistrationsystem.Furthermore,theSIDALIHsystemisbuiltonanopen-sourcearchitectureandisexceptionallycosteffective,havingcostafewmilliondollarsasop-posedtothehundredsofmillionsofdollarsspentonothercountry’sregistrationsystems.Asidefromtheinformationtechnologyinfrastructure,italsodetermineswhichvoterregistrationdatawillbecollected,verified,sharedandusedforvoterliststhroughoutIndonesiaonElectionDay.Importantly,SIDALIHhas

6

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

notonlycreatedamoreaccuratelistthaninpreviouselections,butitalsoprovidesthetoolstocontinu-ouslyidentifyproblemsandfixthem.

TheKPUfacedmanychallengesduringtheimplemen-tationofSIDALIH.Partlythesechallengeswereduetointernalresourceandleadershipissues,andpartlytheywereduetothequalityofthepopulationdatareceivedfromMoHA.WhiletheSIDALIHsystemitselfperformedasexpected,thequalityoftheKPUdoor-to-doordatacollectionandofdataentryitselfwasflawed.Whileitwasofmuchhigherqualitythan2009,thelistwasnotperfect and there remains room for further improve-ment.WhenthenewcivilregistryisfullyfunctionalandelectronicIDcards(E-KTP)7universal,SIDALIHwillgivetheKPUanditsregionalofficestheabilitytoprogressivelyproduceavoterregistryofincreasingquality.Ifthedataisprotectedandproperlymaintained,therewillnolongerbeaneedfortheKPUtoreinventthelistforfutureelectionsforeachnationalorregionalelectioncycle.

Aheadofthelegislativecampaignperiod,somepoliticalpartiescriticizedthevoterlist,allegingthatmanyvalidvotersweremissing,andthatthelistcontaineddead,duplicate,orfictionalvoters.Theinitiallistdidhavemanyinaccuracies,notasaresultofwidespreadfraud,butduetothepoorqualityofMoHAinforma-tionorinaccuratedataentry.Havingabetterlistandmakingitpubliclyavailableattractedmorescrutinyfromtheparties’andcitizens.This,inturn,identifiedmoreproblems,butthiswastheintentionandpartofanaturalprocessofimprovingthelistaheadoftheelection.ThroughtheSIDALIHsystem,theKPUwasabletopurgesome17millionduplicatenames,1.7milliondeceasedvoters,andfix60millionmissingnationalIDnumbers.UnderinstructionsfromBawaslu,thisprocesscontinueduntiltwoweeksaheadofElectionDay.

InkeepingwithLawNo.8/2012,whichrequiresthateveryeligiblevoterbelistedregardingher/hisadministrativestatus(withorwithoutKTP),theKPUworkedtoaccommodateeligiblevoterswhowerenotincludedinthefixedvoterlist(Daftar Pemilih Tetap)inadditionallists,includingthespecialvoterlist(Daftar Pemilih Khusus)andthespecialadditionalvoterlist(Daftar Pemilih Khusus Tambahan).Forthesamereason,theKPUalsocreatedanadditionalvoterlist(Daftar Pemilih Tambahan)forvoterswhointendedtovoteatapollingstationotherthantheonetowhichtheywereofficiallyassigned.

7 Atthetimeofwritingofthisreport,December2014,thee-KTPsystemhasbeenplacedonholdbyMOHAduetonu-merousproceduralproblems.

Source:KPU-RI

7

VOTER LIST

NUMBEROFREGISTEREDVOTERS

NUMBEROFPEOPLEWHO

VOTED

%OFVOTERSWHOVOTED

DPS(DaftarPemilihSementara)

180,719,854

DPT(DaftarPemilihTetap)

188,268,987 130,831,174 69.5%

DPTB(DaftarPemilihTambahan)

473,416 438,972 93%

DPK(DaftarPemilihKhusus)

240,913 128,370 53%

DPKTB(DaftarPemilihKhususTambahan)

2,859,296 2,848,860 99.6%

FiguresbasedonKPUFormModelDCPPWP,recapitulationresult:http://www.kpu.go.id/

koleksigambar/DD1_Pilpres_2014.pdf

Source:IFES

PART II The legislative election

Source:IFES

11

PART II - The legislative election

Voter educationForvoterstoproperlyexercisetheirrights, theyneedtobe well-informed about electoral rules and procedures.The national survey conducted by LSI-IFES in December2013, raised a number of concerns that pointed to theelectoratebeingpoorly informed. Itwaspositive in thatlikeothersurveys,LSI-IFESrecordedvoterenthusiasmtobehighwith90percentofrespondentssayingtheywereverylikelytovote.Atthatpoint,fourmonthsaheadoftheelection, justunderhalfof respondents (46percent)didnotknowwhentheelectionwouldbeheld.However,thatinformationwasclearlyconveyedtothecommunityastheevent approached.ByMarch,with theofficial campaignperiod under way, the Indikator Politik Indonesia polltrackedthosewhosaidtheywerecertaintovoteat76percent,whichmeasuredcloselytotheactualturnoutof75percent.Globally,thisisarespectableoutcome.

TheKPUremainedtheprimaryorganizationthatinformedIndonesiansabouthowtovote,withnearlyhalfofallrespondentsstatingtheyhadbeenmadeawareoftheJulypresidentialelectionbyinforma-tionfromtheKPU(47percent),followedbypartyandcandidatematerials(22percent)andthenewsmedia(20percent)8.TheKPUwasmorelikelytobementionedinruralareasthanurbanareas,whilenewsmediawasmorelikelytobementionedinurbanareas.

Thecommissionanditslocalstaffwerestillthemostimportantinde-liveringkeymessagesaboutwhenandhowtovote,butnationalad-vertisingcampaignsplayedapart.Thesamesurveyreportedthat46percent of respondents saw television advertisementswith a ballotboxasamascot,58percentsawpostersorpamphletswiththephrase'Ayo Memilih' (Let’sVote),44percentsaworheardmessageswiththephrase'Pilih, Coblos, Celup' (Select,CastandDip)informingvotershowtocasttheirballot,and45percentsawmessageswiththephrase'Pilih Yang Jujur' (VoteforTheHonest)encouragingvoterstovoteforcleancandidates9.Mostimportantweretheone-on-oneinteractionsoflocalelectionorganizingcommittees.Ninety-onepercentofIndonesiansre-spondedthattheyreceivedanotificationletterabouttheelectionattheirhome.Sixpercentsaidtheydidnot.

Despite thegenerallypositiveevaluationsof theelectionprocessandelectionmanagementbodies/officials fortheApril9election, Indone-

8 LembagaSurvei Indonesia (LSI)-IFES PostLegislativeElectionNationalSurveywith2009respondentsandmarginoferror±2.2%,June2014

9 Ibid

“Let’sVote”.Source:KPU-RI

“Everyonehasavoice”.Source:KPU-RI

12

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

sians identifiedseveralareasasneedingsomeimprovementforfutureelectioncycles.Whenaskedtonamethemost important issuetheKPUshouldaddressforthenextelectioncycle,themostof-ten-citedissueswerevoterinformationonvotingprocedures(24percent),voterregistrationprocess(15percent),impartialityofresultsfromthepollingstation(9percent),adequacyofpollingfacilities(8percent),competenceofthepollingstationstaff(6percent),andinformationonwhenandwheretovote(5percent).10

Understanding voting proceduresSomevotingregulationsstillneededtobebetterexplained,includingproceduresforcitizenswhowerenotlistedonthepermanentvoterlistataparticularpollingstation.Thesurveyconductedbetweenthetwoelectionsreportedthatmost Indonesianswereunawarethattheycouldvoteatapollingstationotherthantheoneatwhichtheywereregistered,providedtheybroughtaletterexplainingthattheyhadmovedfromtheiroriginaladdress.Only38percentwereawareofthisprovisionandtheirabilitytobeaddedtotheAdditionalVoterList(DPTb)oftheirclosestpollingstation.11CitizenswhofulfilledtherequirementsbutwhowerenotlistedonthePermanentVoterList(DPT)couldbeaddedtoaSpecialVoterList(DPK).

TheKPUcreatedspecialprocedurestominimizedisenfranchisementofvoters.ThisincludedtheAd-ditionalSpecialVotersList(DPKTb).Thewidespreaduseofsuchproceduressuggeststhatthepublicwasawareofthem.Inthefinalhourofvoting,thosenotontheDPT,DPTb,ortheDPKwereeligibleforinclusionintheDPKTbandtocasttheirvote.Informalfiguresfromthepresidentialelectionsuggestthatmanypeopledidmakeuseoftheseoptions.Whilemorethan134millionvoterscastballots,itisestimatedthatmorethan400,000didsoviatheDPTb,135,000usingtheDPK,andmorethan2.9millionusingtheDPKTblist12.Whileimperfectandpossiblysubjecttosomeabuse,thesemechanismsappeartohaveenfranchisedabout3.5millioncitizens.Furtheranalysiswouldbehelpfultodetermineif theseprocedureswereoverused in someareas,whichmay revealvoter fraud.However, todatethereisnoevidencethatthosevotingviatheDPKTbfavoredonecandidateortheother,orthatasinglevoterwasabletocastmultipleballots.GiventhecriticismthattheKPUdisenfranchisedmanyvotersin2009,theseprocedureswereagenuineefforttoofferanopportunitytovoteforcitizenswhohadnotyetregistered,recentlybecomeeligible,recentlymoved,orwereawayfromhomeatelectiontime.

Revisions to the voting listSincethelegislativeelection,theKPUworkedcontinuouslytoimprovethequalityoftheFinalVoterList(DPT).Buildingoneffortsintheprevious14monthsofpreparationforthelegislativeelection,theKPUmobilized itsworkforceandcapitalizedon itsVoterData InformationSystem(Sistem Informasi Data Pemilih–SIDALIH). It isnowtheworld’s largestnationalcentralizedvoterregistrationsystem.SinceApril,officialsincorporatedmillionsofupdatesfromtheMinistryofHomeAffairsandfromKPUfieldstafftorefinethevoterlistandensureitwasaccurate,completeandup-to-date.TheDPTgrewfrom187,852,992votersforthelegislativeelectionsto190,307,134 forthepresidentialelection–anincreaseof2,454,142voters.

10 Ibid.11 Ibid.12 134,953,967voterscastballots(domesticandoverseas);446,575usedDPTb;135,494DPK;2,910,323DPKTb(source:

http://kpu.go.id/koleksigambar/PPWP_-_Nasional_Rekapitulasi_2014_-_New_-_Final_2014_07_22.pdf)

13

Anaccuratevoterlistisessentialtoensurethatvoterscanexercisetheirrighttovote,bothbyestab-lishingeligibilitybutalsobyservingasafoundationforElectionDayoperations.Theorderlyconductinpollingstations,aswasthecaseduringlegislativeelections,indicatedthattheKPUsucceededinestab-lishinganaccuratevoterlist.On13June,BawasluchairmanMuhammadsaidtheDPTupdateprocessconductedbytheKPUhadbeenoptimal.HerequestedthepresidentialcandidatepairsnottodisputetheDPTafteritsestablishment.ThisstatementindicatedthattheKPUhaddoneeverythingpossibletobuildonitsrecentsuccess.

TheDPTalsodidnotfeatureprominentlyincomplaintsmadebypartiesorcandidatestotheConsti-tutionalCourt(MK)afterthelegislativeelections.Aheadofthepoll,somepartiessuchasPDI-PandGerindramadedetailedpresentationsabouthowtheywereconcernedaboutthelist’squalityandindi-catedtheywouldlaunchlegalchallengesiftheproblemstheyhadidentifiedwerenotaddressed.Intheabsenceofsuchcontroversyinthepost-electionenvironment,thedevelopmentofthenationalvoterlistforthe2014electionsisasuccessstoryworthhighlighting.Thislistprovednotonlytobefunctionalforconductingbothelections,butit isalsoagoodfoundationonwhichtocontinuetoimprovethevoterregistrationprocessforfuturelocalpollsandthenationalelectionsin2019.

Theelectorate’sknowledgeabouthowtovotewasanimportantissuein2014giventhelargenumberofinvalidvotesin2009.Inthoselegislativeelections,invalidvotestotaledanextraordinarilyhigh14.4percent.Thiswasblamedonthedecisiontodepartfromthedecade’soldpracticeofpunchingtheballot(mencoblos)andvoterswereinsteadaskedtoexpresstheirpreferencebymarkingtheballotpaperwithapen(mencontreng).In2014,theKPUrevertedtotheoldmethod,whichwasaneasyonetocommuni-catetopublicundertheslogan“mencoblos lagi”orpunchingagain.InDecember2013,almostathird(32percent)ofLSI-IFESsurveyrespondentsdidnotknowhowtoproperlymarkaballotpaper.

Measurednationally,invalidvotesinthe2014legislativeelectionswereat10.77percent,lowerthan2009buthigherthaninternationalcomparisonssuggesttheyshouldbe.Anecdotalevidencesuggeststhepercentageof invalidvoteswas lowest for local legislaturesandhighest for thenationalupperhouse(DPD).InonenationallegislativedistrictinBantenprovince,invalidvotessoaredto22percent.TheunusualvariationinBantendemandsitsownaudittobetterunderstandthenatureofthislocalizedproblem,butthereasonsforinvalidvotingdeservesgreaterscrutiny.Duetoelectionregulationsre-searchersarenotabletogainaccesstothevotescasttoascertainthetruenatureofthehighervoting.Instead,theInstituteforSocialandEconomicResearch,EducationandInformation(LP3ES)interviewedelectoral stakeholders, including KPU commissioners and regional electionorganizers, in regencies,municipalitiesandindividualpollingstationsthatreportedahighpercentageofinvalidballotsinordertobetterunderstandreasonsbehindtheinvalidity.In-depthinterviewswouldbeconductedwithKPUCommissionersandregionalelectionorganizersattheregency/municipalitydowntothepollingsta-tionlevel.Basedontheresultsoftheseinterviews,LP3ESdeterminedthatinvalidvoteswereinmostcasescausedbyvoterbehavior.Voterscausedinvalidvoteswhentheydidnotknoworpreferanyofthelegislativecandidates,whentheypreferredapoliticalpartybutacandidatefromanotherparty,whentheyfeltobligedtovoteforeverycandidatethathasprovidedthemwithmoneyorgiftsduringthecampaign,orwhentheydidnotknowhowtovoteproperly.

14

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

Election managementIndonesianpollingofficialshavethebasicexperiencerequiredtoconductanelection.Betweennation-al-levelpolls,mostIndonesianpollingstaffhavecompetentlyconductedlocalelectionsforregionalheadssuchgovernor,bupati,andmayor.Inoften-difficultconditionsincrowdedurbanareasorremotevillages,thereisawell-establishedsenseofhowapollingstationshouldbesetupandtheelectionconducted.Thisconfidenceamongpollofficialsthattheyknowwhataredoing,however,masksasystemicproblemthattheyoftenoperatetheirpollingstationsatoddswithimportantelectoralprocedures.WithweakdirectionfromthenationalKPU,poorlocalsupervision,nocascadetrainingandinadequatepollworkereducationmaterials,pollingstationsareruninaninconsistentmanneracrossthecountry.EvenpollingstationslocatedonlymetersfromeachotherincrowdedurbanareascanapplykeyproceduressuchascheckingvoterIDorinkingandcheckingthefingersofthosewhohavevotedinaninconsistentway.Inonepollingstation,voterlistsareproperlydisplayed,whileinanother,anofficialwillreportthatapublicdisplayofthevoterlistisnotallowed.

Whenvoterswereaskedinapost-legislativeelectionLSI-IFESsurveytocomparetheorganizationofthe2014electionwiththe2009election,aslightmajority(52percent)saidthatbothelectionshadthesameleveloforganization,while31percentsaythatthe2014electionswerebetterorganizedand12percentsaidtheywereworseorganizedthanthe2009elections.Respondentsineachpartofthecountryweresignificantlymorelikelytosaythatthe2014electionswerebetterratherthanworseorganizedcomparedtothe2009elections.13

AddressingtheissueofinconsistentpollworkerperformancecannotbeseparatedfromtheweaknessesinherentintheKPUitself,which,likemostIndonesiangovernmentinstitutions,hasproblemswithpoorperformanceduetolackofcapacity,corruption,andtheabsenceofmerit-basedappointments.Officialsseekingalternativesourcesofincomespendadisproportionateamountoftimefocusedonunnecessaryprocurementaswellasactivitiessuchasself-organizedout-of-townseminarsthatprovideadditionalperdiems.Thereisalsoanimbalancebetweentheappointedcommissionerswhoservefive-yeartermsandpermanentstaffwhospendlongperiodsoftheircareersintheinstitution.Duringthelifeofthecurrentcommission,thisimbalancemanifesteditselfincountlessbureaucraticbattlesandtensionbetweenthecommissionersandsecretariat.

TheappointmentprocessfortheKPUcommissionersatalllevelsdoesnotprioritizerelevantworkexpe-rienceandoftenleadstoweakappointees.Theimbalancebetweenthepermanentbureaucracy,whichisoftenresistanttochange,andpotentiallyreformistcommissionersisexacerbatedbytheconcurrentre-placementofallcommissionerseveryfiveyears.Thisresetstheinstitutioneveryfiveyearsandplacesnewcommissionersonasteeplearningcurve,oftenatacrucialpointintheelectioncyclewhentheKPUshouldbepreparingforthenextelection.Nationalandinternationalelectionexpertshaverepeatedlyrecommend-edastaggeringofcommissioners’termstoallowtheretentionofinstitutionalknowledgeandexperienceatthehighestleveloftheinstitution.GiventhatitisestimatedthatIndonesiamayspendwellinexcessof$1billion14onitsfive-yearlynationalelectioncycle,thereismoregenerallyacasetobemadeforthecre-ationofamorepermanentgroupofelectionadministrators,appointedonmerit,andmademoredirectlyaccountablefortheconductoftheelections.ThisprofessionalgroupofelectionsmanagersshouldbemaderesponsibleforimprovingthequalityoftheelectionbureaucracyatalllevelsinIndonesia.

13 LembagaSurvei Indonesia (LSI)-IFESPostLegislativeElectionNationalSurveywith2009respondentsandmarginoferror±2.2%,June2014

14 APBNallocated14.4trillionrupiahtoKPUfor2014election

15

Campaigning and mediaVoter surveysconductedbyLSI-IFES,TAF,and IRIhaveconsistently shown that television is themostimportantmediumforcommunicatingwithIndonesianvoters.InDecember2013,65percentofrespon-dentstotheLSI-IFESsurveysaidtelevisionwastheleadingsourceofinformationonelectionsaheadoffriendsandfamily(17percent)aswellaslocalofficialssuchastheneighborhoodchiefs(16percent)andvillageheads(12percent).DespitethefocusontherolesocialmediaplaysinIndonesia’sgrowingmiddleclass,thecountryisstillsubjecttoadeepdigitaldivideandinternetaccessremainslimitedoutsideurbanmetropolitanareasandamongthemajorityofthepopulation.TheLSI-IFESpollfoundthatonlyfourper-centofrespondentsregardedtheInternetasaleadingsourceofelectoralinformation.15

WhileIndonesiaishometoafreeanddynamicmassmedia,thecloseconnectionbetweentelevisionnet-workownershipandthoseaspiringtohighpoliticalofficeisregardedbysomeanalyststobeacauseforconcern.Ithasledtoquestionsabouttheneutralityofnewsreportingaswellasthereliabilityofopinionpollingandquickcounts.WhilenolongerdirectlycontrolledbyGolkar’sAburizalBakrie,theBakriefamilycompaniesownVisiMediaAsia,whichinturnownstwotelevisionstationsandoneonlinemediaoutlet.SuryaPalohofNasdem,throughMediaGroup,ownsatelevisionstationandthreenewspapers.TheMNCgroupofHanura’sHaryTanoesoedibjocontrols20television(primarilymassentertainmentsuchassoapoperas)and22radiostationsaswellassevenprintandoneonlinemediaoutlet.

Inthiselectioncycle,thecloseconnectionbetweenmediaownersandpoliticalpartiesraisedaddi-tionalconcernswithblatantattempts toworkaroundrestrictionsoncampaigningby incorporatingpartyfiguresandpartisanpoliticalinformationintonewsprogrammingthatfocusedonpartyactivities,quizshows,andevensinetron(soapoperas).TheinabilityofBawaslutosanctionsuchsubversionofrestrictionsputinplacebyelectionlawsandthenearcontemptuousresponsebythepartiesandme-diagroupswhenthesediscrepancieswerehighlightedhasagainflaggedtheweaknessoftheelectionsupervisorybody.

Civil societyWhilecivilsocietyorganizationsarestillactiveconductingobservation,advocacyandciviceducationac-tivities,thescopeandthenumbersofpeopleinvolvedcontinuestofallfrom2004whenhundredsofthousandsofwell-trainedobserversweredeployedacrossthecountry.Withtightinternationaldonor

15 LembagaSurveiIndonesia(LSI)-IFESPre-electionsurveywith1890respondentsandmarginoferror±2.3%;Dec.2013

Source:acehonline.info Source:KPU-RI

16

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

fundingandnationalfundingnotavailable,domesticobservationandotherelectionactivitieswerein-creasinglyrestrictedtosmallsamplesofprovincesandonlylimitednumbersoflocationswithinthoseprovinces.

JPPR,anetworkof37organizationsandmovements,includingtheNahdlatulUlama(NU),PSAPPemu-daMuhammadiyah,universitiesandinterfaithgroups,providedthelargestdomesticmonitoringeffort.However,itonlyhad100long-termobservers(LTOs)lookingatcampaignfundingbeforeandduringtheelections.OnElectionDay,JPPR’spartnerorganizationsreportedfielding2,011volunteersin25provinc-es.Kemitraansupportedmonitoringinfiveprovinces(Papua,NTB,Maluku,CentralJava,andNorthSu-matra).Itdeployed106LTOsinMarchwhoworkeduntiltheJulyelectionanddeployed1,062short-termobservers(STOs)onthethreedaysaroundthelegislativeelections.

Insummary,theJPPRobservationeffortfoundtheelectionwasadministeredwelloverall,andthevotingprocesswentsmoothly,thoughmanypollingstationsupervisors(KPPS)didnotmeetlegalcriteriaregard-ingageandeducation,andincludedadisproportionatenumberofmenasKPPS.Mostvotersreceivedanelectionnotificationletter(C6)priortothevote,andtheaccuratedistributionoftheselettersimprovedbetweenthelegislativeandpresidentialelections.Intheabsenceofsignificantresidencyrequirements,therecruitmentoflegislativecandidatesdrewheavilyfromthegreaterJakartaarea,eveniftheywererunningfordistrictsfarfromthecapitalcity.Thistendencywasparticularlypronouncedamongfemalecandidates.JPPRfoundthatthepracticeofmoneypoliticsremainedprevalentinthepollingstationsitobservedduringthelegislativeelection.Althoughnumberoflogisticalproblemswereencountered,theywereextremelylimitedinscope.AccessforvoterswithdisabilitiesduringthiselectioncyclewasthebestseentodateinIndonesia,however,significantroomforimprovementremains.Anumberofadministra-tiveproblemsanddelaysintherecapitulationprocessnegativelyaffectedaccountabilityandsocialtrustintheoverallelectionprocess.

Perludem,anelectionreformresearchandadvocacyorganization,conducteda“paralegal”observationinconjunctionwithbranchesoftheLegalAidInstitute(LBH)infourprovinces(Aceh,Jakarta,EastJava,andSouthSulawesi)forthelegislativeandpresidentialelections.Ineachprovincetheysupported20peopletoobserveelectionviolationsandtohelpmembersofthecommunitytolodgeelectioncomplaintswithBawaslu.Afterthelegislativevote,Perludembuiltonthisapproachtoobserveandreportonthemorethan700disputeslodgedbypoliticalpartiesandDPDcandidatesintheConstitutionalCourt(MK).

The2014electionsarealsodistinguishedfromthepreviousthreepost-Soehartopollsinthattherewerenointernationalobservationmissionsstudyingtheirconduct.Withothertransitionsgrabbingheadlinesandlimitedfunds,donorswhosupportedobservationinthepastjudgedIndonesiatobealowerpriority.Whileacknowledgingelectoralimperfectionspersisted,theybelievedthesystemtobesufficientlyeffec-tivewithouttheneedforoutsideverification.

Bawasluitselftriedtomobilizeanimprobablenumberofmorethan1millionvolunteerobservers(twoforeachpollingstation) ina logistical challenge that seemsoverwhelming for sucha smallagency.Therewasalmostnomoneyallocatedfortrainingthevolunteers,mobilizingthem,oranalyzinganyinformationtheymightcollect.Giventhescopeofmountingsuchaneffortandthatitwasplannedlessthantwomonthsbeforetheelection,theschemewasneverrealized.

Whilepublicopinionresearch,quickcountsandexitpollingwereintroducedtotheIndonesianelectionscenebyinternationalNGOs,thesetoolsarenowusedbycommercialresearchcompaniesorthinktanksandoftenfundedbymediagroups.

17

Security situationComparedtotheturbulentyearsimmediatelyafterSoeharto’sresignation,Indonesiatodayismostlyatpeace.Whilemany Indonesians still fear violence,particularonthedayofthevote,itselectionsarenotmarredbysignificantviolence.Themainexceptionaheadof the legislativeelectionswasAceh,wherefightingbetweentwolocalpartiesformedbyformerrebelsisbelievedtobebehindthedeathofsixpeo-ple in the sixmonths ahead of the poll. Despite afearof violence, the security situation in theprov-

inceremainedcalmonthe legislativeElectionDay.Giventhebreadthandscopeofviolenceduringthedecadesoftheinsurgency,theincidentswereveryminor.AsuspiciouspackagewasfoundnearapollingstationinthecityofLhokseumawe,promptingabriefbombscare.Uponinspection,thepolicesaidtheparcelwasnotanexplosivedeviceandonlycontainedawatchandwoodenitems,andvotingwasabletoresumedespiteabriefdelay.Anecdotalobservationsindicatedthatvotingwasspreadoutthroughouttheday,alleviatingpotentiallylongqueuesatmostpollingstations.

Thesecurityconditioninotherconflict-proneareasofPapuaandCentralSulawesialsoremainedcalm.Inrecentyears,localelectionsinPapuahaveledtofightingbetweenclanstocontrolthelucrativeposi-tionofbupati,whichcontrolsvaluableblockgrantsfromtheprovincialandnationalgovernment.How-ever,withlessatstakeinthenationalelectionstherewerenoreportsofanysignificantviolence.Otherpost-conflictareassuchasCentralSulawesiandMalukuremainedcalmthroughoutthiselectioncycle.

Election DayAnimportanttestforanyelectoraleventiswhetheritisregardedathomeandabroadaseffective,credible,andisheldinapeacefulmanner.ItcouldbearguedthatIndonesia’slegislativeelectioneasilymetthreecriteria.

Effective

Insuchalargeevent,therewereboundtobelogisticalshortcomings,butgiventhescaleofthiselec-tion,theseproblemsaffectedarelativelysmallnumberofvotersanddidnotthreatentheoverallinteg-rityoftheelection.Forthelegislativeelection,Bawaslureportedanumberofminorissues.

Thelargestfindingwasthefailuretovotein35districtsinYahukimoregencyinPapuaafterbadweath-erandpoorfieldmanagementstoppedthedistributionofelectionmaterials.Delayedvotesweresaidtohavebeenorganized,butlegalchallengeslodgedattheConstitutionalCourtargueddifferently.Thesituationwasfurtherconfusedbythewideuseofaproxyvotingsystemknownasnoken,whereoneortwoleadersvoteonbehalfofawholecommunity.Whiletheseproblemsinthisremoteareaweregivenprominencebythenationalmedia,thisobscuredistrictwasspotlightedasothersystematichic-cupswerehardtofind.Ratherthantypical,theywereexceptionalandbestunderstoodinthecontextofwidespreadfailuresintheelectoralsysteminPapua.

Source:IFES

18

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

TherewerealsoreportsofthewrongballotpapersbeingdistributedinvariouslocationsinNorthSu-matra,EastJava,WestJava,Banten,andEastNusaTenggara.On9April,theKPUissuedguidanceforhandlingoftheballotmix-up.ThereweredelaysinopeningpollsinMalukuduetoinsufficientvotingmaterialsandalatestarttovotinginAcehduetoconcernsaboutviolence.InBlitar,EastJava,apollingofficialwasallegedlyreportedforpunchinghundredsofblankballots.On21May,theKPUtestifiedataDPRsessionthattheyreceivedreportsofballotmix-upsinatotalof936pollingstationsin126re-gencies/municipalitiesin30provinces,withtheexceptionofGorontalo,SulawesiTenggara,andPapuaBarat.UnderKPUinstruction,anumberofre-runswereheldunderthesupervisionofBawaslu.

Credible

Oneconcretemeasureofcredibilityisvoterturnout.Participationinthelegislatureelectionswas75percent,which isasolidresult forasystemwhereparticipation isvoluntary.Voterturnout in2009was71percent.FifteenyearsafterreformasitheIndonesianelectorateisnotapatheticandremainspoliticallyengaged.

Anothermeasureishowvotersperceivetheelections.InpollingconductedforLSI-IFESaftertheelec-tion,73percentofIndonesianssaidtheyweregenerallysatisfiedwiththeoverallvotingprocessofthelegislativeelections,and9percentwereverysatisfied.Fifteenpercentreportedbeingveryorsome-whatdissatisfiedwiththeoverallprocess.Themajorityofrespondents inallregionsofthecountryexpressedsatisfactionwiththeelectionprocess.

Eighty-onepercent of Indonesians described theorganizationof the legislative elections as 'good',andanother7percentsaiditas'verygood'.Again,onlyaminority(9percent)thoughttheorganiza-tionoftheelectionprocesswas'bad'or'verybad'.MostIndonesians(64percent)believedthatthelegislativeelectionsweresomewhatfreeandfair,and16percentsaidthattheywerecompletelyfreeandfair.Thirteenpercentdidnotthinktheelectionswerefreeandfair.Whenthosewhothinktheelectionswerenotfreeandfairwereaskedtoprovidereasonsfortheiranswer,48percentmentionedvote-buyingduringtheelectionprocess,11percentmentionedfraudulentactivitiesatpollingstations,8percentcitedalackoftrustinvotecountingand5percentmentionedalackofpreparationamongelectoralauthorities.16

Peaceful

TherewerenosignificantreportsofviolenceonElectionDay.ThisisacredittoIndonesiaanditspeople.

LogisticsAstheresultofredistrictingprocessforthe2014election,therewasanincreaseinthenumberofelec-toraldistricts(daerah pemilihan-dapil)fortheprovincialandregency/municipallegislatures.Forthe2014electioncycle,therewere77dapilforDPR,33forDPD,259forprovincialDPRDsand2,102forregency/municipalDPRDs.TheKPUselectedaconsortiumof11printingcompaniesthroughastandardbiddingprocessinearly2014toprintthe2,471differentballotdesigns.Eachcompanywasresponsibleforprint-ing,sorting,packaginganddistributingtheballotstoregency/municipalKPUoffices,whichwereinturn

16 LembagaSurvei Indonesia (LSI)-IFESPostLegislativeElectionNationalSurveywith2009respondentsandmarginoferror±2.2%,June2014

19

responsibleforsortinganddistributingthemtothefield. Although the sorting and packaging processwas done manually by workers with very limitedtraining,ballotmix-upsonlyaffected770outofthe545,791 (0.01 percent) polling stations across thecountry.Errorswereevenlydistributedacross107regencies/municipalitiesin30provinces,indicatingthat theseweregenuinemistakes.Wheremix-upshadoccurred,theKPUtookimmediatemeasurestodeterminethecauseofproblemandultimatelyor-deredrevotingattheaffectedpollingstationstobecarriedoutnolaterthan15Aprilinkeepingwiththecountingtimetable.

Vote countingThe initialvotecounting inmostof Indonesia isdone inpublicandwith remarkableopennessandtransparencyateachpollingstation.Onceagain,theexceptionisthosepartsofPapuausingthenoken systemwherevotingandcountingtakeplaceoutofpublicview.Beyondindividualpollingstations,tab-ulationandaggregationofvotesattheregionalornationallevelisopaqueandhighlyproblematic.Bylaw,therecapitulationmustbedoneonpaper.Afterafailedattemptatcomputerizationin2009,thereisnocentralizeddatamanagementsystemthatwouldallowforthereleaseofaprovisionalresultwith-indaysofthevote.Instead,officialresultsareannouncedonemonthaftervotingday.Thiscreatesanunhealthydependenceonprivatelyfundedquickcountstoprovideasubstituteforprovisionalresults.

Inthe2009elections,theKPUexperiencedsignificantproblemstransmittingthevotecountsfromtheindividualpollingstationsthroughtheKPU’sofficehierarchyandonwardstothepublic.Awidelyannounced,centralizedelectronicresultsystemthatwasmeanttoproducequickpreliminaryresultscompletely failed.Whilemostattentionhadbeenonthenewsystem,theneglectof theprimarypaper-basedsystemmeantachaoticanddelayedtabulationanddisplayoftheformalresult.Basedonthisexperience,therewasaclearneedforimprovingtheresultstransmission,tabulation,anddisplaymethodologyforthe2014election.TheKPUwasrepeatedlyadvisedbyexpertsthatimple-mentationofanynewresultmethodologyshouldstartnolaterthanoneyearbeforetheelection.ThisdidnothappenandtheKPUbegantheyearwithplanstouseapaperbasedsystemthatdidnotproduceanofficialresultuntilonemonthaftertheelections.Withoutanelectronicresultsystemtoprovidepreliminaryresultsfromanofficialsource,partiesandpublicdependedupononthenumer-ousquickcountsfundedbymediaorresearchorganizationsforprojectionsofresults.

Thehighlyproblematic2009electionwas furthercharacterizedbya low levelof transparencyastheKPUwasunabletoprovideanauditablesetofresults.Foranelectionmanagementbodynottopublishthefinalresultsdowntothelowestpollingdistrictsetaworryingprecedent.Thisisakeypartofensuringthecredibilityoftheprocessandtheupholdingthereputationofthe institutionchargedwithrunningit.Italsoallowsanyanomaliesorproblemstobelaterproperlyanalyzedintheinterestsofimprovingthesystemforfutureelections.Thelackofapapertrailthatwouldallowanauditoftheelectionwasabackwardstepbetween2004and2009.

Inalateinnovationforthe2014elections,theKPUannouncedafewweeksaheadofthelegislativepollthatitwouldscanmillionsofC1resultsformsthatcapturedtheresultfromeachpollingstation.These

Source:www.berisatu.com

20

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

wouldthenbepostedasopticalornon-machinereadableimageson itswebsite.Thiswasanadhocapproachthatattempted to quickly resolve a systemic problem.Whilethere were many initial doubts whether the KPU couldproperly administer this new initiative, it worked wellenough to add some much-needed transparency to therecapitulationprocess.Itsuseforthelegislativeelectionsallowedtheprocesstobeimprovedandcomeintoitsownduringthepresidentialpoll.

Responsibility forscanningtheseformswasbeengiventotheKPUDofficesattheregency/municipalitylevelandtheimageswerethensenttoJakartaforpostingontheKPU’sweb site. In those instanceswhereC1 results formswerenotsystematicallyuploaded,suchasinPapua,theirabsencewasconsideredaproxyindicatorforotherseriousproblemswithelectionadministration.Ashoped,thepostingofthisdata allowed parties, voters, and other analysts to crosscheckpostedresultswiththeirownpollingstationlevelob-servation.Alongwithquickcounts,thepostingofC1formscontributedtotheintegrityandtrustintheelectoralsystem.

The noken systemTheuseofproxygroupvotinginPapua,knownasthenokensystem,firstapprovedbytheConstitutionalCourtin2009forelectionsmembersofHouseofRegionalRepresentatives(DPD).Itwasjustifiedoncul-turalgroundsasatraditionalpractice.Whileinpracticeittakesmanydifferentforms,itofteninvolvesonepersonoragroupofleadersvotingonbehalftheirwholecommunitywithlimitedornoconsultationwiththevotersthemselves.Fromwhatobservationhasbeenundertakenofitsuse,ithasbeenappliedinaninconsistentmanner.Therearenoadequateregulationscodifyingitsuse.Inremoteareas,itdecreasestransparencyofanelectoralprocessalreadymadeopaquebythedifficulttopographyandpooraccess.Theproblemismagnifiedbyunreliablepopulationdataandinflatedvoterslists.Evidencesuggestspop-ulationdataisinflatedtoattractgreatercentralgovernmentfundingandjustifythefurthersubdivisionofadministrativeareas.Thesituationbecomesdoublyproblematicwhenvoterrollsthenexceedalreadysuspiciouspopulationfigures.Manyanalystsareofthebeliefthatthenokensystemisbeingusedtocoverupwhatwouldotherwiseberegardedelsewhereasillegalelectoralmanipulation.

TheKPUDPapuareportedlybannedthenokenforthe2014legislativeandpresidentialelectionsbutthisdirectivedidnotstopitsuseinmanyremoteareas.Whileitscurrentuseonlyinvolvesasmallshareofthenationalvote,itisimportanttorecognizeandaddressconcernsaboutthispracticeasotherar-easofIndonesiaincludinginMaluku,Bali,andevenislandcommunitiesinSumatranprovinceshaveallexpressedaninterestinadoptingproxyvotingsystems.

Thosepromotingproxygroupvotersystemssometimesjustifytheirpositiononthebasisthatvotersarenotsufficientlyeducatedtomakeaninformeddecision.ApartfrombeingdirectlyagainsthumanrightsconventionstowhichIndonesiaisasignatory,thisisadangerouspathtogodownforademoc-

Source:IFES

Source:IFES

21

racyinadevelopingcountrywithwidedisparitiesineducationlevels.Itcreatesmultiplestandardsfordemocracywithinthecountry,erodesthevalueof“oneperson,onevote”usedelsewhereinIndone-sia,reinforcesexistingregionalinequalitiesandencouragescorruption.

Quick countsTheeightmostcrediblequickcounts releasedonElectionDayshowedaconsistentpattern for thevote,placingtheleadingpartiesinthesameorder.PDIPerjuangan(PDI-P)wasprojectedtofinishinfirstplacewith18.28-19.71percentofthevote.ItwasfollowedbyPartaiGolkar(15.16-14.30percent),PartaiGerindra(12.23-11.47percent),PartaiDemokrat(10.25-9.20percent),andPKB(9.51-8.74per-cent).Thesequickcountstrackedwithin1-2percentoftheofficialresult.

ThewidespreaduseofexitpollingwasanewfeatureofthiselectionaftertheConstitutionalCourtruledthattheKPUrestrictionsonpublicopinionpollingduringthepost-campaignquietperiodtobeanunconstitutionalrestrictionofthefreedomofspeech.Anumberofreputableorganizationsissuedexitpollswhilevotingcontinuedthroughoutthewesternandmostpopuloustimezone.TheCentreforStrategicandInternationalStudies(CSIS)andCyrusNetwork(CN)putPDI-Pinfrontwith18.74percent,PartaiGolkarwith13.00percent,andPartaiGerindra9.94percent.Thesignificantvariationbetweenexitpollsandquickcounts–whichareasamplingofactualpollresults–showthatthissurveymeth-odologyisuntestedinIndonesiaand,aselsewhere,shouldbetreatedwithcaution.

Indonesianlawrequiresparties,orcoalitionsofparties,toreceiveeither25percentofthevoteor20percentoftheseatsinthenationallegislature(DPR)inordertonominateapresidentialcandidate.AsquickcountdataindicatedPDI-Phadfallenshortofthethreshold,coalitiontalksamongpoliticalpar-tiesintensifiedwithaneyeonthe9Julypresidentialrace.

Official results and seat allocationAftertheelectionon9April,therecapitulationandpreliminaryseatallocationwascompletedbytheKPUon14May,aheadoftheschedulelaiddowninthelegislativeelectionslaw.Thesystemofcalcu-latingseatallocationswassimplifiedin2014andtheregulationgoverningitmoreeffectivelypromul-gated.ItledtoabetterunderstoodprocessandnosignificantchallengestotheKPU’sdetermination.

Source:KPU-RI

22

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

Ofthe12partiesthatcontestedtheelectionsnationally,10receivedseats in theDPR.Twoparties(PBBandPKPI)wereeliminatedfromtheseatallocationprocessastheydidnotreceive3.5percentofthenationalvoterequiredtopassthelegislativethreshold.TheIndonesianParliamentaryCenter(IPC)developedatoolkitforparties,theircandidates,themedia,civilsocietyandinterestedcitizens,thatwasdesignedtoenhanceunderstandingoftheseatallocationprocess.Thekitincludedanexplanatoryvideo,amanual,abrochureandaweb-basedapplicationthatcouldcalculatetheseatallocationforanygivenelectoraldistrict.

In2009theseatallocationforDPR,DPRDProvinceandDPRDRegency/Municipalitywasacomplicatedprocessthatledtomisallocationofseatsandmanycorrections.Inthecurrentlegislativeelectionlaw(No.8/2012),theseatallocationprocesswassimplifiedintotwostages.

Inthefirststage,theKPUdeterminedthe‘quota’(Bilangan Pembagi Pemilih -BPP)foreachofthe77electoraldistricts(Daerah Pemilihan - dapil).TheBPPisthetotalnumberofvalidvotescastintheelectoraldistrictdividedbythetotalnumberofseatsinthatdistrict.ApoliticalpartyreceivesoneseatforeachtimetheirtotalnumberofvotesreceivedmeetstheBPP.Inthesecondstageofthecalculationanyremainingseatsintheelectoraldistrictwereallocatedtothosepoliticalpartieswiththelargestvoteremainders(thevoteremainderequalstheparty’stotalvotesminusallvotesusedtosecureseatsinthefirststageallocation).Shouldpoliticalpartiesendupwiththesamevoteremainderforonere-mainingseat,theseatisgiventothepoliticalpartywiththewidergeographicaldistributionofvotes.Oncethenumberofseatsforeachpoliticalpartyisdetermined,theseatswerefilledbycandidateswhoranforthepartyintheelectoraldistrictandreceivedthehighestnumberofvotes.

Bylaw,theelectioncommissionershavetoreadtheresultsfromeachelectoraldistrictintotherecordduringapublicplenarysessionofthecommission.With560DPRmembersin77dapil(district)and132DPDmembersin33provinces,itisatimeconsumingprocesstoreadalloftheresultsandthecommis-sionerstookturnsreading.Whilethismadeforlengthyproceedings,itproducedanunquestionablytransparentprocess.Thesefinalresultswerethensubjecttocourtchallengesbeforebeingconfirmedfourmonthslater.

Thenumberof femalecandidates intheDPRfell slightlywith97female legislatorsor17.3percentelectedin2014,comparedto103legislatorsor18.4percentchosenin2009.Thenumberoffemalesenators in theDPD is unchangedbetween2009and2014and stands at 35 senatorsor 26.5per-cent.Thisdoesnotconstituteasignificantchange.Whileobviouslymostwouldhave likedtoseearise,women’srepresentationintheDPRisclosetotheglobalandtheregionalaverageandhasbeenachievedwithoutanyfixedgenderquotabeingappliedandfemalecandidateswinningtheirseatsinopencompetition.

Dispute resolutionIndonesiaelectiondisputeresolutionmechanismsareweakandlackstronglegitimacy.Afterchangestotheelectionlaw,responsibilityfordisputeresolutioninthiselectoralcyclewassplitbetweentheKPU,Bawaslu,DKPP,police,andConstitutionalCourt(MK).AdministrativeirregularitiesarehandleddirectlybytheKPU,concernsover implementationgotoBawasluandethicalviolationsbyelectionofficialsaresenttotheDKPP.Criminalviolations,suchasbribery,obstructionofthevoteortheuseofviolencegotothepolice.Attheendoftheprocess,anyelectoralcontestantcanchallengetheelectionresultintheMK,whoserulingisfinalandbinding.

23

Thisdispersedresponsibilitymakesthemanagementofdisputescumbersome.Prescribedbylaw,elec-tionorganizersareobligatedtofollowthisawkwarddivisionof labor.Themultipleandoverlappingprocessdo,however,producewidespreadmediacoverage,andasaresult,ahigh-leveloftransparen-cyonelectiondisputes.Thismayhelpovercomethenaturaldistrustinthesegovernment-appointedinstitutions.

FollowingtheAprilpolls,theDKPPlookedintohundredsofcasesofallegedethicsviolationsbyelectionofficialsandfired180localcommissioners.Inahearingon21June,forexample,awitnessaccuseda topelectioncommissioner from thePapuandistrictof Tolikaraofbribing46 sub-district electionofficialstorigthe9April legislativepolls.ThewitnesssaidthateachofficialreceivedIDR50million(approximatelyUSD5,000).Thesmallnumberofofficialssanctioned,aswellastheirdispersednature,lefttheimpressionthatmostofficialsthroughoutthecountrydidtheirjobsinanhonestmanner.17

TheMK’sreversaloffortunewasashiftin2014electionlandscape.Previously,ithadbeenbelievedtobeamongthemosttrustednationalinstitutions.ThisreputationwaschallengedinSeptember2013whenChiefJusticeAkilMochtar,aformerGolkarpolitician,wasarrestedbytheCorruptionEradicationCommission(Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi - KPK)onchargesoftakingbribestosettlelocalelectiondisputecases.In15localelections,hewasfoundtohavereceivedmorethanUSD5millioninexchangeforafavorableverdict.On30June,hewassentencetolifeinprisonforthesecrimes,theheaviestsen-tenceeverhandeddownbythecurrentcorruptioncourt.

After the scandal, the legitimacyof the courtwas furtherunderminedwhen its remaining justicesthwartedattemptsforreform.Thecourtannulledalawthatwouldhaveputitundertheauspicesofapermanentethicsbodyaswellasaprovisionthatwouldbartheappointmentofjudgeswithrecentlinkstopoliticalparties.ItalsostruckdownaJanuary2014presidentialdecreeintendedtoreinforcethebodybycreatinganindependentselectionpanelandpreventingpoliticiansmovingdirectlyfromthelegislaturetothebench.

AftertheofficiallegislativeresultsweredeclaredinMay,theMKreceived903complaints.Foranelec-toraleventofthisscale, involvingelectionsfor local,provincialandnational legislatures,thiswasarelatively smallnumber. AnexaminationbyPerludemrevealed thatof the14politicalparties thatsubmittedcases, thehighestnumbercamefromGolkar (91cases),PartaiDemokrat (73cases)andPKPI(71cases).ThetopthreeregionswherecomplainsweresaidtohaveoccurredwerePapua(80cases),Aceh(63cases),andWestJava(67cases).Thesecomplaintsprimarilyoccurredattheregency/municipalDPRDlevel(321cases)followbyDPR(186cases)andtheprovincialDPRD(117cases).TheNGOsaidthat59percentconcernedtheinflationanddeflationofvotesduringthetabulationprocess.Another29percentwerecategorizedascalculationerrors.Theremainderconcernedthemanagementoftheelection(27cases),neutralityofbureaucrats(21),manipulationofthevotinglist(nine),moneypolitics(four),andotherissues(two).18

InJuly,thecourtdismissed98percentofthecomplaints.Judgesruledinfavoroftheplaintiffinonly22cases.Mostoftheverdictsorderedlocalelectioncommissionstorecountasmallnumberofvotesfromspecificsub-districtsorwards.Someonlyundertooktherecountingofresultsfromisolatedpoll-ingstations.

17 InastatementfromSeptember2014,theKPUChairmansaidthatoutof4,101,490electionorganizesonly2,433com-mittedsomeviolationofelectionprocedure.

18 PerludemMonitoringReport,Potret Pemilu Dalam Sudut Pandang Sengketa” (2014)

24

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

The final resultsOn28September,theKPUheldaplenarymeetingtodiscussrevisionstofinalelectoralresultsforDPRandDPDcandidatestoreflectMKverdicts.Therecourt’sdecisionschangedtheDPRseatallocationinonlyoneseat.Followingacourt-orderedre-votein15kecamatan inKabupaten,Halmahera,Golkar,andPDI-Peachretainedtheoneseattheyhadwon,whiletheseatallocatedtoPANwasreallocatedtoNasDem.ThefinalDPRSeatAllocationsthenbecameasfollows:

Contestingnumber

PoliticalParty Seats %

01 NasDem(NationalDemocratParty) 36 6.4302 PKB(NationalAwakeningParty) 47 8.3903 PKS(ProsperousJusticeParty) 40 7.1404 PDI-P(IndonesianDemocracyPartyofStruggle) 109 19.4605 Golkar(FunctionalGroupParty) 91 16.2506 Gerindra(GreatIndonesiaMovementParty) 73 13.0407 PD(DemocratParty) 61 10.8908 PAN(NationalMandateParty) 48 8.5709 PPP(UnitedDevelopmentParty) 39 6.9610 Hanura(People’sConscienceParty) 16 2.86

TOTAL 560 100

PART III The presidential election

Source:IFES

27

PART III - The presidential election

The electoral legal framework and candidate registrationIndonesia’sambiguouslywrittenelectionlawsdidnotanticipatethepossibilityofapresidentialelec-tionwithonlytwocandidates.Thisledtosomelegaluncertaintyinthedaysbeforethepresidentialpoll.Themainlawgoverningthepresidentialelections(LawNo.42/2008)statesthatthewinnermustnotonlysecuremorethan50percentofthenationalvote,butmustalsowin20percentofthevoteinmorethanhalfofIndonesia’s33provinces(i.e.atleast17provinces).Basedonthisprovision,theKPUanticipatedascenarioinwhichthe9Julypresidentialelectionwouldnotresultinawinner,duetoageographicconcentrationofvotes,despitetherebeingonlytwocandidates.Whilethelikelihoodthatacandidatecouldwinmorethan50percentofthenationalvote,yetfailtocleartherequired20percentthresholdin17provinceswassmall,agroupofNGOactivistsplayedanimportantrolebyfilingacasewiththeConstitutionalCourt(MK)askingforaclarification.

On3July,thecourtruledthattherequirementtowinatleast20percentofvalidvotesinmorethanhalf of all Indonesianprovinces should not be applied in the casewhereonly two candidatepairswererunning.Thecourtsaidthatthecoalitionsofpoliticalpartiessupportingthenominationofthetwocandidatepairswereconsideredtoberepresentativeenoughofallregions.Thismeantthatthewinnerofthe2014presidentialelectionwouldbethecandidatepairthatwonanabsolutemajorityofvotes.Whilethecourt’sdecisionresolvedtheissueforthetimebeing,itaddedanotherissuetothelistoftechnicalmattersthatneedtobeaddressedinfuturerevisionsoftheelectorallaws.Thescopeofreformsneededalsoaddsweighttothecallsbycivilsocietyorganizationsforasingleomnibuselec-tionlawtoharmonizeandsimplifythefivelawsandmanysubordinateregulationsthatmakeupthelegislativeframework.

The role of political parties and the campaignIndonesianpoliticalpartiesplayanactiveandunimpededroleintheselectionofthecountry’sheadofstateasonlypartiesorcoalitionsofpartiescannominatecandidatesforpresidentandvicepresident.AccordingtoLawNo.42/2008,parties(orcoalitionsthereof)thatreceiveatleast20percentofseatsinthenationallegislatureor25percentofthepopularvotemaynominatecandidatesontheirown.AftertheApril9legislativeelectionleftnoneofthepartieswitheithersufficientvotesorseatstomeetthisthresholdontheirown,theywereforcedtobuildcoalitionstonominatecandidates.

Theoretically,ifthevoteweresplitintofourequalparts,uptofourticketsmighthavebeenformed.Withvotesandseatsdispersedunevenlyamongtwelveregisteredparties,onlythreepresidentialtick-etswereprobable.Onlytwopairsultimatelyemergedbecauseofpersonalityandpoliticalfactorsrath-erthanduetotheelectoralsystem.

Theone-monthcampaignperiodbetweenJune5andJuly5wasfreewheelingandoftendirty.Itwastaintedby“blackoperations”anddeliberateslander.Discussionofpoliciesandplatformsoftenbe-cameasecondaryissueinthemedia.Whilethetwocandidatessignedanintegritypacttopromoteapeacefulcampaign,smeartacticswerewidelyusedincampaignmaterials,aswellasmainstreamandsocialmedia.ThisledmanytoquestionwhetherIndonesia’selectionmanagementbodiescouldbetterregulatepoliticalcampaigns.

28

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

MediaThebiasshownbysomemediainthepresidentialcampaignhasraisedquestionsaboutwhetherfurtherregulationisneeded.Thebinarychoiceandthehighstakessawmanytelevisionstationsopenly take sides during thepresidential campaign and the concentratedownership of privatenetworks and their promotionof partisanpolitical interests came into the spotlight. Televisionplaysacrucialrollaroundelectiontime,especiallywithyoungpeople.Closetoeightin10Indo-nesiansreportobtainingelection-relatedinformationthroughtelevisionadvertisements(81per-cent)ortelevisionprograms(79percent).19

Theexistingregulatorystructurewasshowntobeineffective.Broadcastersflagrantlyviolatedrestric-tionsputinplacetopromoteeven-handeduseoftheairwaves.Theyshowednofearofthelawortheregulatorybody,theIndonesianBroadcastingCommission(KPI),whichcouldonly issuewarningsormakerecommendationsfortherevocationoflicenses.

Duringthepresidentialelectioncampaign,theKPIfelttheviolationstobesoobviousthatitpubliclyrebukedthecountry’stwotopnewschannelsMetroTVandTVOnefortakingsides.MetroTVisownedbySuryaPaloh,anallyofJokoWidodo,whileTVOneispartofthemediaconglomerationoftheBakriefamily,whoareinthePrabowoSubiantocamp.WhileKPIcanorderthestoppageofsuchprograms,ithasnopowertofineorotherwiseseverelypunishthetelevisionstations.Broadcastersfurthersubvert-edtheregulator’sordersbycreatingshowswithanewnamebutsimilarcontent.

Presidential debates

Giventheproblemswithunequaltelevisionaccessandbiasinreportingthenews,thefiveteleviseddebatesorganizedby theKPUwerean important sourceofunfiltered information forvoters.They

19 LSI-IFESPostLegislativeNationalSurveyJune2014.Accordingtothesurvey,othermassmediasourceswerelesslikelytobeusedwithprintedmedianewsbeingutilizedby28%andradiousagereportedbytwointenIndonesians.Only4percentsaythattheyutilizetheinternetasaprimarymeansforinformationonelections,eventhough17percentofIndonesiansareatleastoccasionalusersoftheinternet.

PresidentialDebates.Source:www.indopos.co.id

29

counterbalanced,tosomedegree,thedominancethatonecamphadovertheairwaves.Thereweretwodebatesorganizedforthetwocandidatepairs(9Juneand5July),twoforthepresidentialcandi-dates(15and22June)andoneforthevicepresidentialcandidates(June29).Thefivedebates,inturn,addressedthetopicsofdemocracy,cleangovernmentandlegalcertainty;economicdevelopmentandsocialwelfare;domesticaffairs,politics,anddefense;humanresources,science,andtechnology;andfood,energy,andenvironment.

Thedebateswere important forumsforvoters todirectlycomparetheticketsandweremorepoli-cy-orientedthanday-to-daymediareporting.Theywerelivelyattimesasthecandidatesprobedtheiropponents’perceivedweaknesses,providingactualpoliticaldebateratherthanjuststolidrecantationofpartyrhetoricandslogans.IftheKPUistoretaincontroloftheseevents,concertedeffortsshouldbemadetoprofessionalizethemasthesebroadcastsareakeysourceof informationforvoters. Intheend,thedebateswereunfilteredbybiasedmediaeditorsandprovidedasubstantialnumberofbroadcasthoursforcandidatestoairtheirviewsandshowvoterstheirpersonalitiesinanopenandtransparentmanner.

Security concernsGiventherecenthistoryofviolenceinIn-donesia,eachelection isaccompaniedbyreportingaboutthefearofviolenceasso-ciatedwiththepoll.Exceptforafewminorincidents,theseconcernswereunrealized.After the legislative election, a few smallincidentswere reported in Papua. Aheadof the presidential election, there weretwo minor incidents in Aceh. By globalstandardsofelectionviolence,thesewerelow.AftertheJokowicampclaimedvicto-ryonElectionDay,policeinJakartaandinBaliprotectivelybannedsupportersfromconductingparadesastheopposingcamphadnotconcededdefeatandtheyfearedclashes,thoughnoviolencewasreported.Thesefearswerethentransferredtotheannouncementoftheofficialresult.Aheadofthisevent,IndonesianMilitary(TNI)ChiefGeneralMoeldokoinformedjournaliststhat35,000soldiersand254,088policeofficerswouldbedeployedtoensuresecurityatthattime.Headdedthathisofficehasnotreceivedanysecuritythreatsbutthatthetroopswerealwaysreadytoaddresssecurityproblems.Heannouncedthatabout10mainentrypointstoJakartafromBantenandWestJavawouldbesecuredincasetherewasanattempttomobilizepeo-plefromthetwoneighboringprovincestoJakarta,followingtheannouncementoftheresult.

Despite theabsenceof violence, the fearpersists in theelectorateandanassociation remainsbe-tweenelectionsandconflict.WhileamajorityofIndonesianswerenotworriedaboutthepossibilityofviolenceintheirlocalcommunityiftheofficialelectionresultsfromthepresidentialelectionswerenotacceptedbyoneofthecontestingsides,asignificantpercentagedidexpressconcernsaboutthepossibilityofviolence inanLSI-IFESpoll conducted inOctober-November2014.20 Thedatashowed

20 LSI-IFESPostPresidentialElectionNationalSurvey,2,000respondents,MOE±2.1%;October-November,2014

Source:2.bp.blogspot.com

30

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

that32percentofrespondentsarenottooconcernedand24percentwerenotatallconcernedabouttheprospectsofviolenceintheircommunity.Ontheotherhand,eightpercentofrespondentswereveryconcernedand29percentweresomewhatconcerned.OlderIndonesianswerelesslikelytobeconcernedaboutthepossibilityofviolencewithonly28percentof Indonesiansover55expressingconcern,comparedto42percentof Indonesiansbetweentheageof25and39,and41percentofIndonesiansundertheageof25.ResidentsofWestJava/Banten/Jakartawerealsomoreconcernedaboutviolenceintheircommunity,with47percentexpressingtheirfears,comparedtoonly16percentinBali/NTT/NTB.

Indonesiansvaluedtherolethatmanyindividualsandinstitutionsplayedineasingtheirconcernsofelectoralviolencefollowingtheelection.Indonesiansrankedtherolesofthepolice(91percent),mil-itary(90percent),andcommunityleaders(85percent)asthemostimportantineasingconcernsofviolence.Indonesiansalsovaluetherolethatthepresidentialandvice-presidentialcandidatesplayedineasingconcernsofviolence,althoughtoalesserextentthansecurityinstitutions:JokoWidodo(73percent),JusufKalla(70percent),PrabowoSubianto(68percent),andHattaRajasa(65percent).21

Out-of-country votingTheIndonesianelectorateincludedoverseasvot-ers,whovotedaheadofElectionDaybackhome.ThisisanareawheretheKPU,incooperationwiththe Foreign Ministry (Kemlu), has room to im-proveitsperformance.Inanefforttoimplementaninclusiveelectionandincreasethelowturnout(22percent)ofoverseasvoters in the legislativeelection,theKPUimplementedamoreproactiveapproachforthepresidentialelection.Itallowedoverseaselectorstovotefrom30Marchto6Aprilforlegislativeelectionand4-6Julyforpresidential.Thereweremorethan2millionregisteredoverseasvoterswhowereallowedtovoteeitherdirectlyatoverseaspollingstations,usingadrop-box(whereballotsarefilledbyvotersoutsideofformalpollingstationsandputinsideaballotboxlocatedinanareaofhighvoterconcentration)orviathepostalsystem.

OnJuly6,hundredsof Indonesianvoters inHongKongstagedaprotestaftertheywereprohibitedfromvotingfollowingtheofficialcloseofthepolls.MostoftheseprotestorsweredomesticworkerswhoclaimedtheywouldhavevotedforpresidentialcandidateJokowi,whoisseenasthemanofthepeople.Theprotestersbecameanimatedaftertheyallegedlyheardanelectionorganizersayingthepolling stationwould reopen if theyvoted forPrabowo,who is seenas the symbolof thepoliticalestablishment.TheincidentoccurredinfrontoftwoKPUcommissionersandtheBawasluchairman.Reportssaidthataround2,000unregisteredvotersshowedupattheHongKongpollingstationsafewhoursbeforeclosingtimeanddidnothaveachancetovote.Bawaslu’sChairmanMuhammadsaidthatorganizersfailedtoanticipatethesurge.KPUChairmanHusniKamiManik latersaidthatthevoters

21 Ibid.

Votecounting.Source:kemlu.go.id

31

showedupafterthepollingstationalreadyclosed.22TheKPUshouldcontinueanticipatingtheneedsofoverseasvoters,especiallyduringapresidentialelection,inareaswithalargeIndonesianpopulation.

Election dayAn important test for any electoral event iswhetheronthedayit isheld,it isregardedathomeandabroadaseffective,credible,andisheldinapeacefulmanner.Aswiththelegisla-tive election, it could be strongly argued thatIndonesia’spresidentialpollmetallthreecrite-ria,althoughthepressureofthecampaigndidexposemoreweaknessesinthesystem.

Effective

In2014,theKPUrantwonationalelectionsinavastnationchallengedwithpoorinfrastructureanddifficultgeography.Whilenotperfect,thelegislativeelectionson9Aprilwereregardedbyvotersascredible.LSI-IFESsurveyinJune204foundthat88percentofrespondentsdescribedtheorganizationofthepollsaseither“wellorganized”or“verywellorganized”.23Inacountrytroubledbycorruptinsti-tutions,thisestablishedtrustwasimportantfollowingtheKPU’sannouncementon22Julyoftheresultofthepresidentialelection,andthesubsequentlegalchallenges.

Voterregistrationincreasedfrommorethan187milliontoalmost190millionvoters,withmorethan1.5millionadditionalvotescastinJuly.Despitepredictionsturnoutwouldsoarinahighlycontestedpresidentialrace,participationdroppedto70percentfrom75percentintheAprillegislativeelection. 24TurnoutwaslowestinRiauIslandsat59.34percent,butotherprovinceswerealsosignificantlybe-lowthenationalaverage,includingAceh(61.93percent),SoutheastSulawesi(62.38percent),CentralKalimantan(62.41percent),NorthSumatra(62.75percent),andRiau(62.73percent).Furtherresearchisrequired,butthismightbeexplainedbythenationalcampaignsbypassingtheseareas.TheturnoutwashighestinPapuaat86.07percent,whichmightbeexplainedbytheuseofnokenvotinginmanyhighlandcommunities,whichinflatesvoterparticipation.Intheseplaces,manypollingstationsrecord-edturnoutatanunnatural100percent.

TheKPUshouldbegivencreditforcompletingahugelogisticalfeat.Aftermajorfailingsduringthe2009elections, thecurrent seven-membercommissionmadesignificantadvances inelectionman-agementsinceitsappointmentin2012,especiallyincompilingacrediblevoterslist.OnElectionDay,188,268,423registeredvotersacrossthearchipelagowereeligibletogoto478,685pollingstations.Intheend,134,953,967votedwith1,379,690invalidballots,aspoilagerateofonly1.02percent.Presi-dentialelectionsaresimplertorunthanlegislativeones,withonlyoneratherthanfourballotpaperspervoter.Thisspeedsupvotingandjustifiesthelawallowingeachpollingstationtoaccommodate

22 ExplanationoftheCommissiononVotinginHongKong;July8,2014http://www.kpu.go.id/index.php/post/read/2014/3381/Penjelasan-KPU-atas-Pemungutan-Suara-di-Hongkong

23 TheLembagaSurveiIndonesia(LSI)-IFESpollconductedfromJune1to10consistedofanationalsampleof2,009inter-viewsin33provincesofIndonesia.Additionalover-sampleinterviewswerealsoconductedinselectedprovinces(Aceh,Maluku,Papua,andWestPapua).ThedatawasbasedonweighteddatathatisrepresentativeofthenationalpopulationofIndonesiawithamarginoferrorofplus/minus2.3%.

24 Source:KPU,HasilpenghitunganperolehansuaraPemiluPresidendanWakilPresiden2014,pg.27

Source:IFES

32

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

800votersratherthan500forthelegislativepolls.Throughaprocessofconsolidation,theKPUwasabletoeliminateabout67,000pollingstationsfromtheAprilelection,mainlyinurbanareas,savinganestimatedUSD20million.ThisisamodestamountconsideringthecombinedcostoftheseelectionsmaywellbeclosetoUSD1billion.25

Isolatedlogisticalproblemsdelayedthevoteforonedayinsomeareas,includinginPapua.Therewerereportsofre-votinginsomepollingstationsinfourprovinces.ThreeinKabupatenBantul(D.I.Yogyakar-ta),threeinKotaBandarLampung(Lampung),twoinKabupatenSijunjung(WestSumatra)andoneinKabupatenIndramayu(WestJava)reportedre-votingduetoirregularitiesduringthe9Julyelection.InthreepollingstationsinD.IYogyakarta,theKPUfoundthattheKPPS(pollingstationcommittee)let134votersvotewithoutanA5form,whichallowsvoterstochangetheirassignedvotinglocation.InapollingstationinWestSumatra,theKPPSfoundtherewasamismatchbetweentotalballotscastandtotalnum-berofvotersthatcastballots.However,accordingtooneofthecommissionersonKabupatenBantul’sregional-levelelectoralcommission(KPUD),theerrorswerenotdeliberatebutrelatedtopoorlytrainedofficials.TheKPUwasunabletoconductfulltrainingprogramsdowntothepollingstationlevelduetobudgetaryandotherconstraints.

Vote-buyingattemptsonElectionDayweresaidtobecommon, even though the efficacy and reliability ofsuchbriberyisstillquestioned.Votingcontinuestobeconductedwithhighlevelsofsecrecyandevenifmon-ey isaccepted, itdoesnotnecessarily influencevoterintention.Forthepresidentialelection,JPPRobserversreportedonevotebeingvaluedatbetweenIDR10,000-20,000(roughlyUSD1-2).Theynotedbothcampaignstriedtobuyvotesanditisthoughttobeawidespreadtactic.AccordingtotheJune2014surveyrunbyLSI,15percentofrespondentsreportedthattheywereofferedmoneyduringthe2014legislativeelectionsandanoth-

er5percentknewsomeonewhowasofferedcash.Comparingthe2014pollwith2009,34percentthinkthatmoneypoliticswasmuchmoreorsomewhatmoreprevalent.Bycontrast,only10percentthinkthatmoneypoliticswaslessprevalentinthe2014elections.Justoveraquarterofsurveyrespon-dents(26percent)believethatitwasthesameasin2009,while30percentdidnotofferanopinion.In69percentofcases,novotingproofwasrequiredofthevoterwhoacceptedthemoneyorreward.

Credible

ThevastmajorityofIndonesianssawthepresidentialelectionasacredibleprocess.InanLSI-IFESpoll,respondentssaidtheywereeitherverysatisfied(11percent)orsomewhatsatisfied(76percent)withtheoverallvotingandproceduresforthepresidentialelections.Only10percentexpresseddissatisfac-tion.Closetoninein10(89percent)alsosaidthatthepresidentialelectionwasverywellorwell-orga-nized.DatafromboththesequestionsissimilartodataonthesequestionsinanLSI-IFESsurveycon-ductedafterthe2014Aprillegislativeelections.AlargemajorityofIndonesiansinallmajorpopulationsub-groupsexpressedsatisfactionwiththeoverallelectionprocess,andthisopinionwasfoundamong

25 ThereisnoconsolidatedcostforelectionsinIndonesia,althoughresearchisunderwaytotrytoaccuratelycalculatethis.

Source:IFES

33

boththosewhovotedforPresidentJokowi(95percentsatisfied,3percentdissatisfied)andthosewhovotedforPrabowoSubianto(75percentsatisfied,23percentdissatisfied).Asanillustrationoftheor-ganizationoftheelections,only5percentofthosewhoreportedvotingsaidthattheyexperiencedanyproblemsduringthepresidentialelectioncomparedto95percentwhodidnotreportanyproblems.26

MostIndonesianshavepositiveevaluationsoftheelectionprocessforboththepresidentialandleg-islativeelectionsin2014.InthesurveyfollowingthepresidentialelectioninJuly2014,19percentofIndonesianssaidthattheelectionswerecompletelyfreeandfair,withafurther66percentsayingthattheyweresomewhatfreeandfair.Only12percentsaidthattheelectionswereeithernottoofreeandfair(11percent)ornotatallfreeandfair(1percent).TheseresultsmirroredfindingsfromtheLSI-IFESsurveyfollowingthelegislativeelectionsinApril2014,where80percentofIndonesianssaidtheelec-tionswereeithercompletelyfreeandfair(16percent)orsomewhatfreeandfair(64percent).Inthismostrecentsurvey,IndonesianswhovotedforJokowiinthepresidentialelectionweremorelikelytosaythattheelectionswereeithercompletelyfreeandfair(21percent)orsomewhatfreeandfair(71percent)thanthosewhovotedforPrabowoSubianto(16percentstronglyagree;57percentsomewhatagree).

MostIndonesianshadpositiveopinionsontheabilityofeligiblevoterstoparticipateintheelectionandonvotecountingatthepollingstationlevelingeneral.Eighty-fourpercentagreedthatalleligiblevotershadanequalopportunity toparticipate in theelection.Eighty-onepercentalsoagreed thatcasting,votecounting,andannouncingresultsweredoneaccuratelyatthepollingstationlevel.Solidmajoritiesofallmajorpopulationsub-groupssharedtheseopinions.

Thereweresomeconcernsnotedabouttheintegrityofelectionresultsamongasignificantminorityofthepopulation,focusedontheissueofmanipulationofresultsatsomepollingstations.Whilethereweresomeconcernsaboutresultsmanipulationatsomepollingstations,most Indonesiansdidnotthinkthatamassivemanipulationofelectionresultshadoccurred.Overall,amajorityofIndonesians(56percent)stronglyorsomewhatdisagreedthattherewasmassivemanipulationofelectionresultsduringthepresidentialelection,while21percentofIndonesiansfeltthatmassivemanipulationhadtakenplace.Resultsweremoremixedinopinionsonmanipulationatsomepollingstations.While48percentdisagreedthattherewasmanipulationofresultsatsomepollingstations,morethanathirdofIndonesians(35percent)agreedthattherewasthemanipulationofelectionresultsatsomepollingstations.ThisnumberrepresentsanincreasefromtheLSI-IFESsurveyafterthelegislativeelection,inwhichonly26percentofrespondentssaidthatsomemanipulationofelectionresultsoccurredduringthelegislativeelections.OpinionsthatmanipulationdidtakeplaceatsomepollingstationsarehighestinSulawesi/Gorontalo(40percent)andKalimantan(39percent).

AttitudestowardsthemanipulationofresultsfromtheelectionarehigheramongPrabowosupporters.Amongthesevoters,44percentsaythatmanipulationofresultstookplaceatsomepollingstations,comparedto31percentofJokowivoters.Inaddition,31percentofPrabowovotersagreedthattherewasmassivemanipulationofelectionresults,comparedtoonly16percentofJokowivoters.

26 LSI-IFESPostPresidentialElectionNationalSurvey,2,000respondents,MOE±2.1%;October-November,2014

34

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

Peaceful

Indonesians should be proud of their peaceful elections.Domesticobservers reportedalmostnoviolence.Anymi-norproblemsandsmallviolationsobservedwere isolatedand scattered. National media monitoring by Perludemhighlightedthreeminorandunrelated incidentsofpoten-tialviolenceandintimidationinAcehandPapua.KemitraanandJPPRalsoreportedvotersbeingintimidatedandthreatsatsomepollingstations.IntheCentralJavatownofBanyu-mas,thePrabowocampaignfiledcomplaintsagainstthreejournalistsand twoanti-vote-buyingactivists for trespass-ingatthehouseofapro-Prabowocouncilwomanwhohad

allegedlydistributedmoney tovoters.The journalistswanted to interviewand takepicturesof thecouncilwomanbutherhusbandobjectedtobeingpushedintothemediaspotlightandbrandishedamacheteasheorderedthemtoleave.InRembang,alsoinCentralJava,theJokowicampaignfiledareportagainstawomanwhoallegedlygavemoneytoresidentswhiletellingthemtovoteforPrabowo.

Presidential quick countsTheofficialresultannouncedbytheKPUwasconsistentwiththeeightmost-crediblequickcountsre-leasedonElectionDay.Quickcountsarerandomizednationalsurveysthatsampleactualpollingstationresults,andaremethodologicallydistinctfromexitpolls,whichsampleindividualvoters.Quickcountshavebeenusedwithaccuracyandreliabilitysincethe2004polltopredicttheoutcomeofthepresiden-tialracebeforethecumbersomemanualtabulationprocessiscomplete.Whentheofficialresultsarereleased,thenumberscanbecompared.Iftheymatch,voterscanbefairlyconfidentintheresult.

Theseparallelvotetabulationsareatooltosafeguardthevote,makingmanipulationdifficultasvotesaretabulatedthroughthevariouslevelsofelectoraladministration.Iftheofficialresultsignificantlydiffersfromthequickcount,itcanbetakenasanindicationoffraudintheaggregationprocess.Inthepastthreeelectioncycles,thequickcountshavemirroredofficialresults,helpingtobuildagenerallyhighlevelofconfidenceandtrustintheelectoralsystemamongIndonesianvoters.

Quickcountswithpropermethodologyprovideanaccurateprojectionoftheresult,allowingcandi-dates,politicalpartiesandvoterstopreparefortheeventualannouncementoftheresult.Generally,

Source:IFES

Source:IFES

35

inIndonesia,withitsslow,paper-driventabulationprocess,quick-countshaveprovidedmuch-neededcontextandhavehelpedtoreducetensionasstakeholderswaitforofficialresults.WiththeKPU’san-nouncementoftheofficialresult(Jokowi-JK53.15percent,Prabowo-Hatta46.85percent),thecredibil-ityofthemethodisself-evident.AlleightpollstersaccuratelyforecasttheresultwithonlyCSIS-CyrusandPopuliCentrebeingoutsidetheirpolls’marginoferror.

Theinstitutionsthatconductquickcounts

Pollster Prabowo-Hatta Jokowi-Kalla

LingkaranSurveiIndonesia 46.70% 53.30%

IndikatorPolitikIndonesia 47.03% 52.97%

RadioRepublikIndonesia 47.46% 52.54%

KompasResearchDept 47.66% 52.34%

CSIS-Cyrus* 48.11% 51.89%

LSI-SMRC 47.03% 52.97%

PopuliCentre* 49.05% 50.95%

Poltracking 46.63% 53.37%

IndonesiaResearchCentre 51.11% 48.89%JaringanSurveiIndonesia 50.16% 49.84%Puskaptis 52.05% 47.95%LembagaSurveiNasional 50.56% 49.44%*Resultsoutside1percentmarginoferror;Source:Electionnightquickcounts

ThePrabowo-Hattacampaignclaimedvictorybasedupontheabove-fourquickcounts.TheIndonesianAssociationforPublicOpinionSurveys(Persepsi)istheindustrybodyresponsibleforitsself-regulation.Afterthepresidentialelection,Persepsiwasconcernedaboutthedeviationsbyitsmembersconduct-ingquickcounts. Itaskedmembers tosubmitdataon their sampling technique.Asa resultof thisinquiry,sevenfirmsthathaddeclaredJokowitobethewinnerwerefoundtohavecreatedscientificsamples.JaringanSurveiIndonesiaandPuskpatisdeclinedtosubmitdataontheirsamplingmethodol-ogytoPersepsi’sethicscouncil.Thesetwofirmswerethenreportedlyexpelledfromtheorganization.Despitetheseissueswithlowqualityordisreputablepollingpractitioners,electionmanagementbod-iesandothersshouldbecarefulabouttryingtoover-regulatequickcountsastheyremainusefultoolsthatshouldnotbeprohibitedinfutureelections.

Opinionpollingisimportantbecauseofthewayitisusedbythemediaandcampaignteamsbeforeandafterthepolls.Theintentionalmisuseofexitpollsandquickcountsisawell-knownpartisantacticforthoseengaginginelectoral“blackoperations”.Forexample,TVOne,thetelevisionstationownedbythepowerfulBakriegroup,akeyPrabowoally,onlyairedquickcountsthatcalledtheelectioninfavorofPrabowoSubianto.TVOnewaswidelycriticizedinsocialmediaonandafterElectionDay.ThewaveofcondemnationincreasedaftertheheadofpollingfirmPollTrackingInstitutesaidhisorganizationhadbackedoutofitscontractwithTVOneearlyonthemorningoftheelectionafterthestationinsistedonincludingtheresultsoflessreputablepollsters.PollTracking’squickcountshowedJokowiwinningoverPrabowo,53.37percentto46.63percent.

36

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

Election administrationWhileIndonesianpollingstationsarecelebratedfortheirremarkableopennessinvotingandtranspar-encyincounting,poorstafftrainingmakesthemaweaklinkintheelectoralchain.AlthoughnumerousreportsofirregularitieshavebeenfiledwiththeKPUandvariouselectionoversightbodies,ElectionDaywentrathersmoothlyoverall,consideringitssizeandcomplexity.Apollingstationtechnicaldiag-nosticwasconductedbyIFESincollaborationwithLembagaSurveiIndonesia(LSI)atarepresentativesampleof2,000pollingstations(TPS)nationwide. Itwas intendedtohelpelectoralstakeholderstoidentifysystemicflawsintheimplementationofElectionDayproceduresandtoprovideoverallcontextforareviewofprocedures.

Thesampleisnotlargeenoughtoallowforagreatdealofanalysisofregionaldifferencesinimplemen-tation,butitwaspossibletolookatsomeindicativetrends.Nationally,morethan90percentofpollingstationsopenedandclosedontime.Ninety-sevenpercentofpollingstationshadallofthematerialsnecessaryforconductingtheelectionsuchasballots,toolsforvotingandinkformarkingfingers.Emp-tyballotboxeswereshowntowitnessesbeforepollingin95percentofpollingstations.In97percentofstations,officialscheckedvoters’identificationproperly.Attheendoftheday,thevotetotalsarewrittenontheC1formthatispartofthefive-stagetabulationprocess27.Candidates’agentsareen-titledtoacopyoftheformandonewasprovidedin89percentofpollingstations.Whiletherehavebeennumerouscomplaintsfromthetwocampaignsaboutirregularitiesandsomeseriousallegationsoffraud,94percentofpoliticalpartyobserversinthefielddidnotregisteranycomplaintsabouttheproceduresattheTPSlevel.

Source: Lembaga Survei Indonesia (LSI) Election Diagnostic survey, July 9, 2014

Theoneproceduralerrorthatstandsoutacrossalargeshareofpollingstationshadtodowiththenotification/invitationletter(surat pemberitahuan)thatissenttoallvotersandcontainsthevoter’spollingstationnumberandlocation.NeithertheelectionlawnortheKPUregulationsrequirevoterstopresentthelettertoTPSofficialsbeforebeingallowedtovote.Whiletheratevariedbetweenprovinc-

27 Oncecountedateachpollingstationtheballotsaretabulatedfirstatthevillage(kelurahan)level,thenatsubdistrict(kecamatan)level,regency/municipality(kabupaten/kota)level,provinciallevelandfinallyallprovincialresultsarecom-piledatthenationallevel.

37

es(seetablebelow),anaverageof16.4percentofpollingstationsdeniedvoterstherighttocastabal-lotbecausetheydidnotpresenttheirinvitationletter.Itisnotknownhowmanyvoterswereactually disenfranchisedinthismanner,butitisclearlyamatterfortheKPUtotakeintoaccountindesigningitstrainingandinformationprogramsforfutureelections.

Theinconsistentapplicationofvotingproceduresremainsasignificantproblem.Thisisadirectresultofpoortrainingforpollingofficials.WhiletheKPUemploysmorethan3.8millionpollworkers,ithasnosystemforcascadetraininginplace.Pollingstationofficialsarenotlackinginconfidenceandimple-menteachelectionastheydidthelast.Insomeneighborhoods,theyarereferredtoas“familyfran-chises”.Butthispatternofnarrowrecruitingmayentrenchmisunderstandingsandsloppypractices.ElectionDayobservationshowsthaterrors,whileoftenrandomandnotsystematic,canresultinvotersbeingdisenfranchised,aswasthecasewiththeuseoftheinvitationletter.Tofurtherinsurequalityandbettermentoftheelectionprocess,theKPUneedstoreviewitsElectionDaycommittee(KPPS)selection/recruitmentandtrainingprocedures.

The role of civil societyIndonesiancivilsocietyorganizations(CSOs)playedactiveanddiverse rolesduringboth the legislativeandthepresidentialelection.Anumberofactivistsservedasdomesticmonitors,observingtheintegri-tyoftheprocess.LeadingthinktankCSISconduct-edaquickcount.Through initiativessuchaswww.rumahpemilu.org (Indonesia ElectionPortal), someCSOstookuprolesasciviceducators,helpingvotersunderstand theelection;others sponsored thede-velopmentof smartphoneapps. In coalitions, suchasGeneralNetworkforDisabilityAccess(AGENDA),groupsmonitoredpollingdayeventsandadvocat-edforbetteraccessibilityforpersonswithdisabilities.TheAssociationforElectionsandDemocracy(Perludem),togetherwithadvocatesSunggulHamonanganSiraitandHaposanSitumorang,filedajudi-cialreviewwiththeConstitutionalCourttoclarifyambiguityinthepresidentialelectionlawregardingwhetheroneortworoundswouldberequiredtochooseapresidentwhenonlytwocandidateswererunning.Perludemalsomonitoredthecourt’shandlingofcomplaints.TheinvolvementofCSOsinbothelectionsmarksthe2014nationalelectioncycleasthemostinclusiveandparticipatoryever. Perhapsthemostexcitingdevelopmentwasthespontaneouscollaborationbetweenhun-dredsofvolunteerswhopooledtheirworkonlinetoconductaparalleltabulationofthevoteastheKPUposteddatafromindividualpollingstations(C1),sub-districts(DB1),andregen-cies(DC1)online.These“crowdsourcing”initiativestookplacethroughwebsitessuchaswww.kawalpemilu.organdwww.merdeka.com.

WhilesuchspontaneousorganizingshowsthevibrancyofcivilsocietyinIndonesia,italsohighlightsinadequacies in the current system.With computerization, the KPU should be able to produce re-al-timeresults,eveniftheyareunofficial.For2014,however,thesevolunteergroupsplayedakeyroleinprovidingmuch-neededscrutinyfortherecapitulationprocess,especiallyfromthepollingstationtosub-districtlevel,which,accordingtoMKcourtcasesresultingfromthelegislativeelection,showedthegreatestleveloffraudandmanipulationbycorruptofficials.Civilsociety’sparalleltabulation,which

Source:IFES

38

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

showedthefinalresultstobeconsistentwithquickcountsandsteadythrougheachleveloftabulation,significantlycontributedtoconfidenceintheintegrityoftheelectoralsystem.Inanenvironmentinwhichthepublic’strustinquickcountswasshaken,thisinitiativewasacriticaldeterrentagainstfraudandrepresentedaconfidence-buildingmeasurebuttressingfaithintheelectoralsystem.

Recapitulation of votes

Bycountingvotesateachpollingstationindaylighthours,Indonesiaishometoaremarkablytrans-parentprocess.Thisisasolidfoundationuponwhichtobuildanelectoralsystemwithhighlevelsoftransparencyandintegrity.IfIndonesiaweretomovetoasystemofelectronicvoting,assomehaveproposed,thentheseadvantageswouldbelost.Thepresidentialelectionlawregulatesthatamanualballotcount,withfivestagesofmanualtabulationisaformalandlegalvotecountingprocess.Intheabsenceofaproperelectronicvotetabulationsystem,theKPUdecidedtomakescannedcopiesofre-sultsformsfromthepollingstation,sub-districtanddistrictlevelavailableonitswebsite.Thisdecisionenablednewgroupstoconducttheirownparalleltabulationandincreasetransparencyintheelectoralprocess.Theofficial,paper-drivensystemtakesweekstofinalizeandleadstospeculationaboutthelikelywinner.Forthe2019nationalelections,theKPUshouldworktoputinplaceanelectronicresultsystemthatcanproduceanofficialresultquickeranddecreasethetensionscreatedbythisuncertainty.

Usingscannedpollingstationresults.Source:merdeka.com

Votecountingatpollingstationlevel.Source:IFES

39

Comparedtotheirpredecessorswhooversawthe2009election,thecurrentKPUhasbeenmoretrans-parent.Ithasmadeaconcertedefforttouploadtoitswebsiteallrelevantelectoralinformationinclud-ingitslaws,regulations,anddecisions.TheKPUwebsitehasalsoincludedextensivebackgroundinfor-mationonpoliticalparties,candidates,campaignfinancereports,andtheelectionresultsastheyarereportedfromthepollingstationandeachsubsequentadministrativelevel.ForIndonesianelections,thischangehasbeenrevolutionary,butmorecanandshouldbedonetobuildontheseadvancesandimprovetransparency.

The systemof scanning C1 formshas been a significant ad-vance,buthasnotbeenperfect.ThespeedatwhichC1formswere posted was uneven throughout the archipelago, withsignificantdelaysseenintheprovinceofPapua.Whilesomeprovinceshavepublished100percentoftheirC1forms,Papuahadonlyuploadedtwo-thirdsofitsC1formsmorethantwomonthsaftertheelection.Whiletheremotelocationofmanypolling stationsmaypartially explain this, electoral adminis-trationintheprovinceispoor.Thefailuretodeliverelectoralmaterialsontimeisoftenasmuchaproblemofsub-standardadministrationandbadplanningasitisofdifficultgeography.Contractsareslowtobeissuedandplanesareoftencharteredlatetodelivermaterialstoremotelocations.

The lack of C1 forms fromPapua contributes to the ongoingopacityoftheelectionprocessesintheprovince.Thisdeficiencyalsoblocksattemptstomonitorcorruptpracticesinthedistantprovince,especiallywiththehighlyproblematicnoken systemofproxyvoting.Thereisgrowingevidenceofapatternofwide-

spreadelectionirregularitiesinPapuaonascalenotseenelsewhereinIndonesia.Votinglistsareoftenlargerthanpopulationfigures,whereastypicallyaroundtwo-thirdsofthepopulationiseligibletovote.Inthesesamedistricts,oneanalystfoundvoterturnoutforthe9Aprillegislativeelectionswasoften100percentinmanyareas.Theseratesarenotevenachievedincountrieswithcompulsoryvoting.

AddressingtheproblemswiththenokensysteminPapuaisurgent.OtherpartsofIndonesia,especiallyinneighboringprovinces,arearguingthattheytooshouldbeallowedtouseit.Manyofthesame“cul-tural”argumentsareused.Somelocalleaderssaythelargeballotpapersweretooconfusingforpoorlyeducatedvoters.Ratherthanaddressthisthroughbettervotereducation,campaigninginremotear-eas,orpartyoutreach,theyseethesolutionistocedeavoter’sindividualrighttoasinglecommunityleader.Proxyvotingisadangerouserosionoftheprincipleof“oneperson,onevote”.Analystssuspectnoken ofprovidingaculturalsmokescreenforwidespreadvote-buyingbypartiesandmassivecorrup-tionbylocalelectionofficialsastheysellandre-sellvotestothehighestbidder.

TheKPUhasmadeagoodstartinimprovingtheauditabilityofitsdatabutmoreneedstobedone.TheKPUhaspublishedonlinescannedimagesofthepollingstationresults(C1)aswellasthetabu-lationsfromthesub-district,regency,provincial,andnationallevels.Thispublicarchivecanbeusedbyparties,media,andacademicsaswellaselectionprofessionalstocrosscheckandverifytheresult.Thepublichascapitalizedonthisdata,usingthearchivetoaudit individualpollingstationresults

SampleofC1FormuploadedintoKPUwebsite.Source:pilpres2014.kpu.go.id

40

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

andeventocrowd-sourceelectionresulttabulation.Forfutureelections,theKPUshouldorganizeitsownelectronicresultstabulationefforttoproduceitsownelectionresultinhours,notweeks.Thatsaid,thestepstheKPUhastakenin2014havecreatedthemosttransparentandauditableIndone-sianelectionresulttodate.It ishopedthattheKPUcontinuestoraisethebarbypublishingfinalelectionresultsinaformatthatcanbereadilyusedforanalysisbyallinterestedparties,ratherthanindividualimagefileswhichrequireextensivedata-entryandverificationefforts.

Official resultsTheofficialresultwasannouncedbytheKPUon22July.ItdeclaredthatJokoWidodoandJusufKallahadreceived70,997,833votes (53.15percent)andPrabowoSubiantoandHattaRajasa62,576,444votes(46.85percent).Inpercentageterms,JokowihadamarginofvictoryoverPrabowoof6.3percentor8.4millionvotes.Itwasaclear,ifnotaclose,victorywhichwasproclaimedfinalafteralldisputeswereheardandadjudicatedbytheConstitutionalCourt.

Dispute resolutionDuring thepresidentialelection, theDKPPreceived16casesfiledby threegroups (Prabowo-Hatta,Jokowi-JusufKallaandan independentbody)concerningallegedviolationsofthecodeofethicsbyelectoralmanagementbodies(EMBs),includingthenationalKPU,regionalKPUs,Bawaslu,andregionalsupervisors(Panwaslu).On21August,theDKPPdelivered13verdicts,inwhichitdismissednineKPUDcommissioners(fivefromKabupatenDogiyai,twofromKabupatenSerang,andtwofromBanyuwangi);gaveareprimand/strongreprimandto30EMBcommissioners;not-guiltyverdicts for20EMBcom-missioners;andpraisefornationalKPUCommissionerHadarNavisGumayandtheheadofSukoharjoPanwasluforexceptionalperformance.TheDKPPalsopraisedtheuseoftheSpecialVoterList(DPK)andAdditionalSpecialVoterList(DPKTb)asabreakthroughforelectionadministrationthatguaran-teedprovisionoftheconstitutionalrighttovoteeventoIndonesianswhohavenotbeenregisteredintheFixedVoterList(DPT).BypraisingacontroversialKPUcommissionerwhowasattackedforallegedbiasandthetemporaryvotinglists,theDKPPstrengthenedthelegitimacyoftheprocessandresult.

In2009,theMKdismissedthecasesmadebythetwolosingpairs,thenJusufKalla-WirantoandMega-watiSoekarnoputri-Prabowo,andaffirmedthevictoryofSusiloBambangYudhoyono(SBY)andvicepresidentBoediono.TheSBY-Boedinoticketwonthesecond-roundelectionbyawidemarginof65

TheofficialresultwasannouncedbyKPU,22July2014.Source:KPU-RI

41

percent.While itacknowledgedthatsome“qualitativeproblems”wereprovedduringthehearings,theseproblemswerenotregardedas“structural,systematic,andmassiveviolations”ofthegeneralelectionsanddidnotinvalidatetheresult.28Toattractthecourt’sattention,anyplaintiffneedstomeetthissametest.ChiefJusticeHamdanZoelvalaidoutthecourt’sdefinitioninarecentmediainterviewasawell-plannedorhighlyorganizedeffortoffraudfromtoptobottomthatiswidespreadinatleastoneprovinceorafewregencies/municipalities. Itmustalsoimpacttheoutcomeoftheelection.29 The court’shighstandardofevidencealsocreatesachallengingburdenofproofasplaintiffsanddefen-dantsmustprovideoriginaldocumentsandeyewitnesstestimony.Initshandlingofcomplaintsfromthe2014legislativeelections,theConstitutionalCourtagainsetahighbar.

TheMKcameintothiselectionseasonwithacredibilityproblemofitsownmaking.Itsformerchiefjustice,AkilMochtar,wastriedfortakingmorethanUSD5millioninbribestoinfluenceaseriesoflocalelectioncases.On30June,hewassentencedtolifeinprisonbytheJakartaCorruptionCourt,oneoftheharshestpunishmentseverhandeddownforacorruptionconvictioninIndonesia.QuestionsalsoaroseastowhetherPrabowo'scampaignmanagerMahfudMD,aformerMKchiefjustice,wouldbeusedtoinfluencehisformercolleaguesduringthedisputeresolutionprocess,despitehisofficialresig-nationfromthecampaignonElectionDay.

On 22 July, hours before the official result was an-nounced, the Prabowo-Hatta team withdrew its wit-nessesfromthefinalrecapitulationhearingattheKPUoffices.Itwasadramaticgesturethatcreatedsome24hoursofambiguityasitremainedunclearwhethertheticketwouldacknowledgetheofficialprocessesandthelegal dispute resolutions options provided by the law.Thepair's initialcommentstothemediaalsogaveriseto confusion as towhether they hadwithdrawn fromtherecapitulationprocess,orfromtheracealtogether,whichwouldhavecarriedcivilandcriminalpenalties.On23July,Gerindrarepresentativesappearedtobacktrackwhentheysaidtheywouldchallengetheresultincourt.

The complaint that the Prabowo-Hatta team lodged at theMK claimed that irregularities at some52,000pollingstationsrepresentedasystematicefforttofavortheJokowi-Hattapairing.Allegationspointedtodiscrepanciesbetweenthenumberofvotersorballotpapersandthenumberofvalidandinvalidvotescast;excessiveuseoftheadditionalspecialvoterslist(DPKTb);and282pollingstationswherethePrabowo-Hattaticketreceivednovotesatalleventhoughtheyhadpollwatcherspresent.Theplaintiff’slegalteamsaidtheKPUignoredBawaslu’scallforare-votein5,000pollingstationsinJa-karta.TheheadoftheJakartaBawaslusaiditrecommendedarevoteat13pollingstations.AmemberofthenationalBawaslusaidthatthelawlefttheMKtoresolvetheissueiftheKPUdidnotagreewithaBawaslurecommendation.

ThePrabowo-HattateamlodgedaformalpetitionwiththeConstitutionalCourtby25JulyalongtheselinesandaseriesofpublichearingsbroadcastliveontelevisiontookplaceinearlyAugust.Prabowowasgivenanopportunitytodirectlyaddressthecourtintheinitialproceedings.Allcourtdocuments

28 MKDecisionnumber108-109/PHPU.B-VII/2009.29 ElikSusanto,“IniSidangPalingBerat”,Tempo, August31,2014.

Prabowo Subianto delivering his speech rejecting KPU’srecapitulation results at the Polonia House, his campaignheadquarters.Source:www.nusaonline.com

42

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

weremadeavailableonlineandverbatimtranscriptsofproceedingswerepostedwithinadayofthehearingasisthecourt’spractice.Thishighleveloftransparencyandopennesscontributedtoconfi-denceintheprocessandthepublic’sacceptanceoftheeventualoutcome.

On21August, theConstitutionalCourt rejectedPrabowo-Hatta’scase in itsentirety.Given itssignifi-cance,itisimportanttoreviewthekeypartsofthe4392-pageruling.Whilefindingthattheelectionwasnotstolen,theconclusionsdrawnbytheninejudgesunderlinemanyoftheongoingchallengesofelec-tionadministrationinIndonesiaandpointsforconsiderationregardingfutureelectoralreforms:

1. TheplaintiffclaimedthatballotboxeswereillegallyopenedbytheKPUasitgatheredevidenceforthecase.Whilethecourtacknowledgesitwasagainstthelaw,theKPU’sinclusionofrepre-sentativesfrombothcandidates'teams,Bawaslu,andthepoliceaswellasitsproductionofanofficialreportmeantthattheevidenceobtainedinthiswaywasadmissible.

2. Thecourtrecognizedthattheintegrityofadministrativeprocedureswasextremelyimportantintheconductofanelectionandmustbebasedinlaw.However,anyproblemswithelectionadministrationneededtobesubstantiatedasbeing"massive,systematic,andstructural" innatureforthecourttoruleinfavoroftheplaintiff.Thecourtwasunconvincedthattheev-idenceprovidedofmismanagementorthemisallocationof fundsaffectedtheresultofthepresidentialelection.

3. WhilethePrabowo-Hattacampallegedthat1.2millionofitsvoteshadbeenstolenandsome1.5millionvotesweregainedillegallybyJokowi,thecourtdeterminedthattheplaintifffailedtopro-videconvincingevidenceshowingclearareasofcountingerrors.Furthermore,theplaintiff’swit-nessesdidnotlodgeanyobjectionsatthelowerlevelsoftherecapitulationprocesswhentheysigned-offonelectionresults,andequallyfailedtoprovideconvincingtestimonywhencalledtothewitnessstand.

4. TheplaintiffallegedtheDPK,DPTb,andparticularlyDPKTbwereusedwithoutlegalbasisandwereabusedduetothesizeofthesevoterlists.Thecourtsaidthatthesizeofthesevoterlistsmadesenseduetovoterreassignmentbetweenthelegislativeandpresidentialelections.Fur-thermore,therighttovotewasupheldasaconstitutionalrightthatshouldnotbeviolatedduetolower-priorityadministrativematters.ThecourtruledthattheKPUwasallowedtoregulatethesevoterliststhroughitsownregulations.Thisneededtobedone,inpart,becausetheMK’spreviousdecisionsthatmadeiteasierforvoterstocastaballothavenotbeenfollowed-upbylegislators.WhiletheuseofKTP/FamilyCard/otherdocuments informingtheDPKTbmaybeslightlyproblematicintermsofimplementation,therewasnoevidencepresentedthatsuchim-perfectionsfavoredanyspecificcandidate.ThecourtfoundthatthepublicinformationcampaignfortheDPKTbhadbeenconductedsuccessfullyandconcludedthattheuseofDPK,DPTb,andDPKTbwaslegalforthe2014presidentialelection.

5. CounselrepresentingthePrabowo-Hattaticketalegedanumberofproblemswithvotingandcounting,butthecourtruledthattheplaintiffdidnotpresentD1formstoclearlyshowwheretheproblematiccountinghappened.Inpollingstationswheretheplaintiffallegedthatintim-idationhadtakenplace,suchasinPapua,witnessesfailedtoclearlyshowwhich"parties"in-timidatedthem,howithappened,andwhatwasdone.Thejudgessaidthataclearchronology

43

andproofwereneededbeforethecourtcouldtaketheseclaimsintoconsideration.InpollingstationswherePrabowo-Hattawonnovotes,suchas inSouthNias,Maluku,NorthMaluku,andMadura, the court believed that the conferral processes andproxy voting traditionallyacceptedinthosesocietieswerethecauseratherthananyindicationsoffoulplay.AlthoughnotalloftheseareasusethenokenthatisemployedinPapua,suchconferralprocessesareac-ceptedaspartofhowdemocracymanifestsitselfwithinIndonesiantraditionalcommunities.Assuch,thecourtrejectedallallegationsrelatedtoproblematicpollingstations.

6. TheplaintiffcomplainedthattheKPUhadnotfollowedBawaslu'srecommendationsonprevi-ouslyidentifiedelectoralproblems.LawyersrepresentingPrabowo-HattasaidthattheKPUhadonlypartiallyfollowedtheelectionsupervisor’sinstructionsinJakartaandEastJava.However,thecourtnotedthatBawasluitselfdidnotraisethisissue,andhadthereforetacitlyacceptedKPUmeasuresassufficient.InSouthNias,theKPUDdidnotpromptlyfollow-uponBawaslu'srecommendation,buthadre-countsorre-votesbeenheld,theywouldnothavechangedtheresult.Whileproceduresmighthavebeenflawed,thecourtfoundthesecasestohavenoimpactontheelectionresults.

7. Theplaintiff’scomplaintsaboutPapua’snokensystemweredismissedfirstonthegroundsthatallegationslackedclarityandconsistencyabouttheplacesandnumberswheretheallegedinfrac-tionstookplace.ThecourtruledthattheomissionofCentralandWestMapiadistrictsofDogiyaiRegency,wherenovotingwasallegedtohavetakenplace,fromtherecapitulationprocessattheregency-level,wasanacceptableapproachbylocalelectionauthoritiestosettlingacomplexissueastherewasnotimetore-runtheelection.InotherPapuancases,thejusticesnotedthatPrabowo’sagentshadinsomecasessignedtheofficialreportatlowerlevelsonlytolaterclaimfraud.Inothercases,evidencefromSarmiandYapenfailedtoclearlyidentifytheperpetratorsoftheallegedfraud.InWestPapua(particularlyManokwariRegency),theinvolvementofregionalheadsinmobilizingvoterswasnotconvincinglyproven,norhaditbeenreportedtoBawaslutoinvestigate.ThecourtnotedtestimonyfromtheKPU’switnessthatmanyregionalheadsinWestPapuawereGerindrafunctionariesormembersofpartiesinPrabowo’scoalition,andthereforewereunlikelytoabusetheirpowerinJokowi’sfavor.Allegationsofearlyvotingon8JulyinWestPapuawerenotproven.Numerousproblemswiththeplaintiff’sevidencepromptedthecourttodismissallegationsofwidespreadfraudinthisprovince.

8. WhiletheplaintiffhadclaimedfraudinvotinginSouthNiasaftersomepollingstationsreport-ed100percentturnout,thecourtnotedthatpoliticalpartyagentsonElectionDayhadsignedappropriateformsatlowerlevelsandthereforevalidatedthisturnout.InJakarta,theprovin-cialKPUfollowedBawaslu'srecommendationbyconductingare-voteat13pollingstations;andthehighnumbersofpeoplewhousedtheDPKTbintheprovincewerenotshowntohaveeithersignificantlyorexclusivelysupportedJokowi.

9. InEastJava,anotherareaclaimedtobesubjecttohighlevelsofirregularities,thejudgesde-scribedtheplaintiff’sclaimsoffraudas"assumptive"and"false".ClaimsthatJokowi’scampusedmoney-politicswerenotsupportedbystrongwitnesstestimony,reports,orspecificoccurrenc-esthatcouldbeproven.PollingstationwitnessesforthePrabowo-HattaticketdidnotprotestagainsttheDPKTbwhereitwasallegedlyabused.Furthermore,thecourtsaiditwasalsowrongtoclaimthat"toomanyvotersusedDPKTb"astherewerenomaximumlimitsestablishedinlaw.

44

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

EvidencethatPrabowowonbysignificantmarginsinsomeareasdespiteDPKTbuse(suchasinMadura)signifiedthatthetemporarylistdidnotfavorJokowi.ThecourtfoundthattheKPUhadaddressedBawaslu'srecommendationsbyconductingatieredinvestigation,including,inseveralareas,name-to-addressre-checkingofDPKTbusers.Therefore,allegationsofwidespreadfraudinEastJavawerefoundtobebaseless.

10. Claimsregardingtheuseofmoney-politicsingeneralwerenotprovenandthecourtfoundnoevidencethatallegedvote-buyingparticularlyadvantagedJokowioverPrabowo.

TheConstitutionalCourtcaseallowedforalengthyairingoftheallegationsoffraudsurroundingthepresidentialelection. Inthissense,theelectiondisputeresolutionmechanismasprescribedby lawworkedwell.ThePrabowo-Hattalegalteamwasfoundtohavepresentedaweakcaseasitexhausteditsfinallegalchallengeagainsttheelectionresult,astheConstitutionalCourt’sdecisionsarefinalandbinding.

Inadesperateeffort,thePrabowo-Hatta’slegalteamfiledacasetochallengeproceduralaspectsofvotecountingandrecapitulationintheJakartaAdministrativeCourt(PTUN).On28August,thiscasewassummarilydismissedbyapanelofjudgesastheyregardedtheircourtasaninappropriatevenueforsuchanelection-relatedcase.

AlthoughthecoalitionthatbackedPrabowo-HattacanobstructJokowi’sgovernmentviathenewlegisla-ture,theformationofaspeciallegislativecommitteetorevisitissuesthatwerepreviouslyexaminedbytheConstitutionalCourtwouldonlyserverhetoricalpurposesandwouldbepowerlesstoaltertheresult.

TheresultannouncedbytheKPUon22JulystoodandJokowiwassworn-inasthePresidentoftheRepublicofIndonesiaon20October2014.

45

Source:KPU-RI

PART IVRecommendations for future

elections

Source:IFES

49

PART IV – Recommendations for future electionsTheneedforfutureelectoralreformwasmadeapparentbynumerousissues,technicalproblemsandpoliticalambiguitiesthataroseduringthiselectionseason.On23January, theConstitutionalCourtmadeafinalandbindingrulingtoupholdarequestforreviewbytheCoalitionofCivilSocietyforSi-multaneousElectionstosynchronizethelegislativeandpresidentialpolls.Whilefindinginfavoroftheplaintiff,declaringbothelectionsshouldbeheldonthesameday,thecourtsaidthedecisiondidnothavetobeimplementeduntil2019.ThisdecisionalonemeantIndonesianeedstoundergoanothermajoroverhaulofitselectionlaws.

Post-election issuesTheriseofPrabowoSubianto’s“RedandWhiteCoalition”asaunitedpoliticalforcehasbeenamixedblessing.AneffectiveoppositionisademocraticphenomenonIndonesiahasnoticeablylackedduringPresident’sYudhoyono’sdecadeinoffice.Theinabilityofnon-governmentpartiestoarticulatealter-nativesoropposehispolicieshasbeenanotedweaknessinthesystem.However,frustratedbyPra-bowo’sloss,thiscoalitionhasbecomepersonallyvindictiveandevendestructiveasittriestoimple-mentpoliciesthatvotersrejected,suchaswindingbackthechangesmadetotheconstitutionduringthepost-Soehartoreformasiperiod.

Legislature procedures bill

On8July,asthecountrywaspreoccupiedwiththepresidentialelectionthefollowingday,theoutgo-ingmembersoftheDPRpassedanamendmentofLaw27/2009asLaw17/2014governingMPR/DPR/DPD/DPRD,knownastheMD3law.Itgoverns,amongotherthings,theinternalselectionmechanismsforlegislativebodyleadershippositions.TheMD3Lawadoptsavotingmechanismtoreplaceprevi-ousregulationsthatallowedthepoliticalpartywiththemostseatsintheDPRtoappointthespeaker,deputyspeakerandcommissionchairs.Thelaw’spassagebythesamecoalitionofpartiesthatbackedPrabowo’scandidacymarksamoveawayfrompolicymakingbyconsensustowardsawinner-takes-allapproach.On29September,theConstitutionalCourtrejectedPDI-P’srequesttorepealthelaw.ChiefJusticeHamdanZoelvaexplainedthatPDI-Pdidnothavetherequiredlegalstandingasithadsufferednoinfringementofitsconstitutionalrightsasaconsequenceofthelaw.

Thecourt’srulingineffectaffirmedthedominanceoftheGerindra/Prabowo-ledRed-and-WhiteCoa-litionasaformidablesourceofopposition.WithastronggripovertheDPRandDPRDs,theRed-and-WhiteCoalitionislikelytohaveafreehandindictatingthelegislativeagendaunlessPresidentJokowiandhisalliescanbreakitupandgainaworkinglegislativemajority.Withoutsuchachange,ahostilelegislaturemayadverselyimpactJokowi’sabilitytoexecuteanumberofhisprograms.AfterheateddebatesbetweenthetwopoliticalpartycoalitionstocontrolleadershippositionswithintheDPR,theRedandWhitecoalitioncameoutvictoriousandinstalledSetyaNovanto(Golkar)asspeakerofthehouseandFadliZon(Gerindra),AgusHermanto(Demokrat),TaufikKurniawan(PAN)andFahriHamzah(PKS)asdeputyspeakers.ThiscleansweepofleadershippositionsleavesthePDI-P-ledcoalitionthatbackedthenewpresidentwithoutasingleDPRleadershippositioninthenewlegislature.Inorderto

50

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

balancethiscleansweepandaccommodateconcernsraisedbytherepresentativesofGreatIndonesiacoalition,oneadditionalDeputyChairmanpositionhasbeenaddedtoeachofthe11DPRcommissionsandfivecommittees.

Asareactiontothis,partiesunderthePDI-P-ledGreatIndonesiaCoalitionestablishedacounter-lead-ershipwhichhadcausedadeadlock in theDPRforalmostamonth.Partyelites, inaddressing thisdeadlock,wasquitegallantastheyagreedtoholdameetingbetweenthetwocoalitionsandnegotiate,whichachievedaconsensus:revisinganumberofarticlesinLaw17/2014deemedastherootofDPR’sleadershipproblems.KMPretainedtheirseatsasspeakerandfourdeputyspeakersoftheDPR.

Local election law

Aftera12-hourdelayfromitsexpecteddecisiononthematter,aDPRplenarysessionfinallyheldastandingvote,whichcamedown226-135 in favorof the indirectelectionofdistrictandprovincialexecutivesviatherespectivelocallegislativecouncil.PresidentYudhoyono’sDemocratPartystagedawalk-outafterits10-pointplantoimprovedirectelectionswastakenoffthediscussiontable.Thesixmembersthatremainedfromtheparty's148-seatblocwereunabletostaveofftheiropponents,andPrabowo'sRedandWhiteCoalitionscoredamajorlegislativevictory.

Thenewlaw(LawNo.22/2014)removedtheauthorityofboththeKPUandBawasluwithregardtolocalexecutiveelections.DPRDsinsteadaretoappointanelectioncommittee(Panitia Pemilih–Panlih)comprisingthreerepresentativeeachfactionintheDPRD,andledbytheDPRDspeakeranddeputyspeakers.However,thelawprovidedexceptionsforautonomousregions,suchasAceh,thatmayhaveprevailinglawsgoverningtheelectionsoflocalexecutiveheads.

Inresponsetothenewlaw,KPUChairmanHusniKamilManiktoldthepressthathisinstitutionwouldwaituntilthenewlawhadformallybeenenactedbeforeputtinginternalregulationsinplaceforthe246localelectionsscheduledfor2015.Whilethemovetoreturntoindirectelectionsrepresentedamonumental legislativedecision, itwaswidelydenouncedbycriticsasasetbackfortheIndonesiandemocratictransition.CivilsocietyorganizationshavesignaledthattheywouldfileforajudicialreviewattheConstitutionalCourtifthislawwaseverpromulgated.

In linewithhispromisetofindawaytoblockthewidelycondemned indirectelectionsofregionalheads,asmandatedbythenewly-passedLocalElectionLaw(LawNo.22/2014),before leaving theoffice,presidentYudhoyonoissuedtwoGovernmentRegulationsinLieuofLaw(Perppu)torestoredi-rectelections.ThefirstPerppu(No.1/2014)wasdraftedtorevokethenewlypassedLawNo.22/2014,whilethesecondPerppu(No.2/2014)repealstwoarticlesinLawNo.32/2014onLocalAdministrationthatgivesregionallegislativebodies(DPRDs)thejurisdictiontoelectregionalheads.

Thepresidentexplainedhisbelated intervention,sayingthatdespitehisrespectfortheDPR’sdeci-sion-makingauthority,thetwoPerppuneededtobeissuedtoprotectpeople’ssovereigntyandde-mocracy.ThepresidentsaidthatheissuedthePerppuinresponsetothemassiveoutcryofthepeopleagainstindirectelectionsandasamovetoalloworganizerstoprepare204localelectionsin2015.Thepresident’suseofexecutiveauthorityhasbeenmetwithcautiousoptimismfrommanyobservers,al-thoughhadhenotvacillated,hecouldhaveorderedhispartytovoteagainstthelawinsteadofwalkingoutandthisadhocfixwouldnothavebeennecessary.

Inordertoentertheforceoflaw,PerppumustbeapprovedbytheDPR-whichwillbedeliberatedin

51

asessionscheduledformid-January2015.ThechairmanoftheDemocratfactionintheDPRpromisedthepartywoulddefendthePerppuandfightforitsapprovalintheHouse.AfterhandingoverofficetoJokowion20October,YudhoyonosignaledthathispartywouldsupportthetwoPerppuhehadissuedwhenbothcomebeforethelegislatureforconsideration.

Support for local direct elections

Indonesiansareoverwhelminglyinfavorofkeepingtheelectionofgovernorsandheadsofdistrictasdirectelections.Overall,84percentofrespondentstotheLSI-IFESsupportedpollconductedinOcto-ber-November2104supporteddirectelectionsforgovernorsandheadsofdistricts,asopposedtoonly6percentwhosupportedindirectelectionsthroughtheDPRD.AlthoughthemeasuretosupportachangetodirectelectionsisbeingbackedbytheRedandWhiteCoalitionintheDPR,only8percentofIndo-nesianswhovotedforthecoalitioninAprilsupportthemovetoindirectelections.Additionally,amongsupportersofPrabowoSubiantointhepresidentialelection,whohaslikewiseadvocatedforthemovetoindirectelections,only10percentsupportedthemovetoindirectelections,comparedto78percentwhosupporteddirectelections.AmongthosewhovotedforPresidentJokoWidodo,89percentsup-porteddirectelectionsversusonly4percentwhosupportedindirectelections.Similarly,amongthosewhovotedforpartiesintheGreatIndonesiaCoalition,90percentsupportdirectelectionsand5percentsupportindirectelections.

Oneargumentthathasbeenutilizedinsupportofindirectelectionsisthatdirectelectionsaretooex-pensive.Onthispoint,slightlymoreIndonesiansagreethandisagree,butthatdoesnotmeanthattheywouldratherhaveindirectelectionsbecauseofthecostofelections.Aplurality(45percent)agreedthatelectionsforgovernorsanddistrictheadsaretooexpensive,while36percentdisagreedwiththisstatement.AgreementwiththisstatementwashigheramongsupportersofPrabowoSubianto,with52percentagreeing,comparedtoonly40percentamongsupportersofPresidentJokowi.However,two-thirdsofIndonesians(67percent)saidthatnomatterthecost,itismostimportantthatvotersgettochoosetheirlocalleaders,andnothaveothersdoitforthem,whileonly9percentsaidthatelectionsweretooexpensive,anditwouldthereforebebetterforlocalparliamentstochoosegovernors,districtheads,andmayors.AmajorityofsupportersofPresidentJokowi(71percent)andtheGreatIndonesiaCoalition(71percent)weremorelikelytosupporttheimportanceoflocalelections,aswereamajorityofsupportersofPrabowoSubianto(59percent)andtheRedandWhiteCoalition(66percent).ThedatamakesclearthatIndonesiansofallpoliticalleaningsprefertheyhaveavoiceintheelectionoftheirregionalandlocalheadsofgovernment,eveniftheyareconcernedaboutthecostofelections.

AnotherargumentthathasbeenusedforindirectelectionsisthatthesetypesofelectionswouldleadtoareductionofmoneypoliticsandcorruptioninIndonesia.Inthiscase,amajorityofIndonesiansdisagreewiththeargument.Lessthanone-in-threeIndonesians(29percent)agreedthatmovingtosystemwherelocallegislatorselectgovernorsanddistrictheadswouldreducemoneypolitics,transac-tionalpolitics,anddiscouragecorruption,whileamajority(52percent)disagreedwiththisstatement.AmajorityofsupportersofPresidentJokowiandPrabowoSubianto(52percentineachcase)disagreedthat indirect electionswould reduce corruption. Similarly, amajority of supporters of theRed andWhiteCoalition(51percent)andtheGreatIndonesiaCoalition(56percent)disagreed.

There isalsoevidencethatasignificantproportionof IndonesianvotersmighthavemadedifferentchoicesintheirvotesfortheirprovincialDPRiftheyknewthattheserepresentativeswouldberespon-sibleforvotingfortheprovincialgovernor.Thirty-sevenpercentofrespondentssaidthattheywould

52

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

havevotedforthesamecandidate,eveniftheyknewthatwiththenewproposedelectorallaw,thiscandidatewouldvotetoelecttheirnewgovernor.Meanwhile,25percentsaidtheywouldhaveeitherdefinitelychosenadifferentcandidateorparty(8percent)ormighthavechosenadifferentcandidateorparty(17percent).Afurther38percentsaidtheydidnotknowwhattheywouldhavedonehavingknownthisinformationatthetime.

OnTuesday,20January2014theHouseofRepresentative(DPR),withunanimoussupportofall10politicalfactions,finallyapprovedtworegulationsinlieuoflaw(Perppu)ontheelectionofgovernors,regents, andmayorsandon local administration.The reinstatementofdirectelectionsmeans thattheauthoritytoimplementregionalelectionwasreturnedtoKPU.Despitetheendorsementfromall10partyfactionsintheDPR,the130pagedocumentandits206articlesthatresultedfromthefirstPerppuwaspoorlydraftedintermsofcontentandstructure.AcoalitionofCSOsfocusedonelectoralmanagementiscurrentlyhelpingtheDPRtoamendmentthePerppu,througha“DaftarIsianMasalah”orDIM,whichisaninventoryofproblematicarticlesalongwithrecommendedrevisions.Throughouttherevisionprocess,theCSOcoalitionalsohopestoadvanceitsworkondevisinganOmnibuselectionlawtounifythecurrentfiveseparateelectorallaws.

Electronic voting and counting technologies

Currently,thereisincreasingmomentumbehinddevelopingandapplyingavarietyofelectoraltech-nologiesinIndonesia.TheAgencyfortheDevelopmentandApplicationofTechnology(BPPT),incon-junctionwithseveralregionalKPUsandregionalgovernments,isstudyingtheuseofe-votingthroughelectronic votingmachines (EVM) in local elections. BPPT has pilot-tested the use of touch-screenEVMswithauditablepapertrailsinseveralvillageheadelectionsinSouthSumatra,WestJava,CentralJava,andSouthSulawesi.

Beforeimplementinganytechnology,theKPUmustconductacomprehensivefeasibilitystudy.Asu-perficialornarrowlyfocusedfeasibilitystudycanresultinthewrongdecisionsand,atbest,unsustain-ablesolutionsthatmustbereplacedintheshortterm.Atworst,theintegrityofanentireelectioncanbeunderminedtoagreateror lesserextent.Ameaningful feasibilitystudyshouldfirstaddressthequestion"Shouldwedothis?"Thereafter,thestudyshouldthenfocusonthequestion"Howdowedothis?"Itisimportanttoavoidbeingtrappedintechnologicaldeterminism–asituationinwhichstake-holdersfeelthatitisimperativetouseatechnologyjustbecausethetechnologyexists.

InIndonesianelections,aftervotesarecastsecretlythroughmanualpunchingofapaperballot,thevotecountingprocessatpollingstationsisconductedinpublicinanopenandtransparentway,theimportanceofwhichisdifficulttooverstate.Thevotecountingprocessthattakesplaceatmorethanhalfamillionpollingstations,embeddedinthecommunityintermsofbothproximityandownership,isverydemocratic.Pollingstationscloseat1p.m.,andcountingimmediatelybeginsatbroaddaylight.Inwhathasbeendescribedasacelebratoryenvironment,pollworkersopenandcounteachvoteinfrontoftheeyesofthepublic.Theofficialresultsdocument(theC1form)iscompletedandsignedbyofficialsandparty/candidateagentspresent.Suchaprocessprovidesbroadspaceforpublicparticipa-tionandoversight,thusallowingthepublictobecertainthattheresultiscredibleandvalid.Thisde-greeofopennessisauniqueandpositivequalityinIndonesianelections,andshouldnotbeanurgentpriorityforreform.

Themoreurgentandpressingproblem in Indonesianelections is thetieredrecapitulationprocess.Aftervotesarecountedatpollingstations,officialcountingresultsaredeliveredtothevillage/ward,

53

sub-district,district,province,andnationallevelinaslowprocessthatcantakeweekstocomplete.Waitingfortheresultsofsuchaslowprocesshasledtospeculationandanxietyamongthegeneralpublic.Electionexpertshaveoftenstatedthatthemanualrecapitulationprocessispronetobothun-intentionalclericalerrorsaswellasintentionalmanipulationandfraud.Ratherthanfocusingonthepopularbutunnecessarye-votingtechnologies,itisimportantthattheKPUfocusesanyeffortstoim-provetheelectionusingelectronictechnologytoimprovetherecapitulationprocess–morepopularlyreferredtoas“e-recap”.

Result Management System

Electionresultsfaceintensescrutiny,anEMB’scredibilityandsuccesshingesonhowwellanelectionmanagementbodytabulatesandpublicizeselectionsresult.ThereneedstobearevisionofelectionlawthatobligestheKPUtodomanualtabulationateverylevelofadministration.Unlikethecount,currentlytabulationisoftenconductedbehindcloseddoorsandextremelyvulnerabletofraud.Indo-nesianeedsamodernelectronicelectionresultsystemthatcanproduceofficialresultstransparentlywithindaysinsteadofweeks.

Lessons learned from 2014 and recommendations for future ElectionsFollowingthe2014elections,academicsandrepresentativesofNGOworkingonelectionsmetforanumberoftimestoevaluateoftheelectioncycleandprovidetheKPUwithasetofrecommendationsforsomeofthefuturereforms.Listedbelowarekeyrecommendationsresultingfromthesemeetings.

End practices that encourage vote-buying

Post-electionsurveysindicatethatthepracticeofvote-buyingcontinuestobepervasivethroughoutthecountry.FifteenpercentofIndonesiansreportedhavingbeenapproachedwithmoneyorgiftsinadvanceofthelegislativeelectioninordertovoteforaparticularcandidate,withafurtherfivepercentsayingtheyknewsomebodyelsewhohadbeenapproached.30TheKPUshouldworkonsetofregula-tionsandinformationcampaignsthatwoulddiscouragethispracticebothinpoliticalpartycandidatesandvoters.Inaddition,theuseofproxyvotingbytriballeaders,stillpresentinsomepartsofIndonesia(suchasNoken practiceinPapuanhighlands)isveryconducivetovote-buying.TheKPUshouldcooper-atewithcivilsocietyandfileareviewofthispracticewiththeConstitutionalCourttoensurethateachvoter’sfundamentalrighttovoteisfullyprotected.

KPU’s formal evaluation system

TheKPU’ssystemofevaluationwithitsprovincialandregency/municipalbranchesisapoliteformalitythat lackssubstance.The2009evaluationreportsharedwiththepublicwasdisorganized.TheKPUneedstoimproveitsmonitoringandevaluationandcouldstartbystandardizingreportsateachtiertomakedatacollectioneasier.Theevaluationreportshouldincludeaperformanceevaluationofelectionworkers,thecentralizeddatabasecanimprovefuturerecruitment.Civilsocietyorganizationscouldbe

30 LembagaSurveiIndonesia(LSI)-IFESPostLegislativeElectionNationalSurveywith2009respondentsandmarginoferror±2.2%,June2014

54

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

involvedtoprovideacriticalanalysis.ThefinalreportshouldbesharedpubliclyandnotjustwiththeDPR.Thiswouldimprovecommunityengagement,increasetransparencyandhopefullyspurthecom-missiontoimprovethequalityoffutureelections.

Voter list

ElectionDayobservationbylocalmonitorsfoundmanyinstancesoftheimproperuseoftheperma-nent,temporary,andadditionalvoterlists.TheNGOsrecommendedthelistsbebasedonmoreup-to-datedatafromtheMinistryofHomeAffairs,begivenmoreself-explanatorynames,takeonbetterformatstoeaserecapitulationandbeprovidedbetterpublicinformationofthetypesofvoterslistsandtheirappropriateuse.

Election staff training

Manymistakesobservedatpollingstationsstemmedfromthepoortrainingofofficials.Moreofthestafftaskedwithoperatingpollingstationsshouldreceiveformaltrainingandwithgreaterfrequencythanisthecurrentpractice.

Civil service reform

Acomprehensivereformofthecivilserviceisnecessarytoimprovetheworkethic,performance,andthecapacityofthehumanresources.Thereformshouldinvolveastaggeringofcommissionerterms,whichallowstheretentionofinstitutionalknowledgeandexperienceatthehighestleveloftheinstitu-tionwhichwillreducethetimeneededfornewKPUcommissionerstoadapt,thereforeimprovingtheefficiencyoftheirworkschedule.Thiswillleadtoacreationofamorepermanentgroupofelectionadministratorsappointedonmeritandmademoredirectlyaccountablefortheconductoftheelec-tions.Inadditiontotheircurrentadministrativedutieswithintheinstitution,rolesandresponsibilitiesofthecurrentKPUcivilservicestaffshouldbeexpandedtoincludeassistingCommissionerswiththesubstantiveelectoralmanagementanddecision-makingprocess.ThiswouldassistinensuringthattheKPUinstitutionisnotfullydependentontheCommissioners’individualskillsandthattheinstitutioncanmaintainthissubstantiveelectoralcompetencewhenCommissionerschange.

IT support

TheadhocscanningoftheC1resultformsconductedbytheKPUduringthiselectioncyclewasagreatadvanceintransparencyandshouldbecontinued.Thisprocessshouldbecontinuedandprop-erlyregulatedbytheKPUtoensureconsistencyincompliance.Itneedstobebetterplannedwiththerightequipmentandpersonnelallocated,includingimprovingthecommission’stechnicalhelpdeskcapabilities.

Election Dispute Resolution

ToomanyelectionresultdisputeswenttotheConstitutionalCourtandcouldhavebeenresolvedbyBawaslu,whichholdsamandateforarbitrationandmediation.Bawasluneedstomoreactivelyadjudicatedisputesatthenationalandregionalleveltocorrectmistakesaswellastopunishthosefoundguiltyof fraudormanipulation.Bawaslushouldalsotakeupamoreactiverole inauditingcampaignfunding.

55

Campaign Finance Reform

CampaignfinanceisaproblemoverdueinIndonesia,areformisnecessarytobreakthecostlyelection.Regulatingcampaignfinancewillreducethedependenceofpartiesonrichindividualstogetelectedandreducerent-seekingbehavioronceinoffice.Besidesstricterrequirementtoreportandauditcam-paignfinance,publicfinanceofpoliticalpartiesshouldalsobeavailabletodecreasethehighcostofrunningforoffice.

Omnibus election law

Toaddresstheoverlappingandcontradictorynatureofthecurrentelectorallegalframework,theincomingadministrationneeds toconsider combiningallelec-tionlawsintoonecomprehensivebill.Thiscouldhelpsynchronizeandstandardizeapproachesacrossalllev-elsofelections. Itwouldalsoframeelectoralreforminacomprehensiveratherthanpiecemealmannertoaddresstheproblemshighlightedbythisreport.

Earlyworkinthisregardbeganin2010throughaco-alitionofelectoralNGOs.Thefirstphaseoftheprogramwascompletedin2014,andproduceda367-pagereport31thatcontainedafirstdraftofacodifiedelectorallawfortheDPRtoconsider,alongwithsupportingacademicliterature.

Addressing Invalid Votes

Measurednationally,invalidvotesinthe2014legislativeelectionwerehigherthaninternationalcom-parisonssuggesttheyshouldbe.Inthelegislativeelectiontherewere14,601,436peoplewhovotedbutunaccountedfor.Thehighnumberofinvalidityshouldbemitigatedbyconductingacomprehen-siveresearchto identifythemaincause.TheKPUshouldalsoconductstrongerefforts forexamplevotereducationtoensurevotesarecastandcountedproperly.

Noken voting

Therearecurrentlyno legalprovisionsregulatingtheculturalpracticeofnoken voting. Initially, thepracticeusednoken bags inlieuofballotboxes.Overtime,thecourthasallowedtheuseofgeneralconsensusofthetribeand,worse,unilateraldecisionmadebythetribalchief.Suchpracticeofproxyvotingshouldendinordertoensurethattheprincipleof“oneperson,onevote”standstrueforeachandeveryeligiblevoter.Theproceduralconsistencyoftheelectionsystemshouldbemaintained.Al-lowingtheculturalpracticeinPapuahighlandsmaycreateadangerousprecedentbyjustifyingotherareastodemandproxyvotinginthenameoftraditionaswell.

31 Perludem’sstudycanbeaccessedatthefollowingaddress: http://www.perludem.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=1883:buku-kajian-kodifikasi-uu-pemi-lu&Itemid=130

Source:IFES

56

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

Streamline Indonesia’s electoral cycle and calendar

Until2019,thecountrywillcontinuetohaveseventypesofelectionthatwillbeheldseparately.2014,Indonesiaconductedanumberofelectionsseparately:legislative(DPR,DPD,ProvincialDPRD,andRe-gency/MunicipalDPRD),presidential,andregionalheads(gubernatorial,regent,ormayoral).ElectionsareheldindifferentpartsofIndonesiaeveryyear,leadingtomassiveelectoralexpenses,lackoffocusbypoliticalparties,aswellasvotersbeingoversaturatedbytheoverly-highfrequencyofoneelectionafteranother.Toaddressthisproblem,thoseelectionsshouldbestreamlined.

Since 2011, NGOs and academics, amongwhich is the prominent electionmonitoring and activistgroupPerludem,havecontinuouslyproposedthestreamliningofelectoraltimeline.MK’sverdict in2014statedthatasof2019,thelegislativeandpresidentialelectionmustbeconductedsimultaneous-ly.WiththerevisionofLaw1/2015,concurrentelectionforregionalheadshasbeenachievedthroughtheprovision inthis lawmandatingthatby2027, Indonesiahasonlytwoelections:oneelectiontosimultaneouslyelect thepresident/vice-president,membersofnational legislatures (HouseofRep-resentatives/DPR and the senate/DPD), andmembers of regional legislatures (DPRD); and anotherelectiontosimultaneouslyelectregionalheads(governors,mayors,andregents).Thisisagreatstep,butimprovementscouldstillbemade.

Thestreamliningofelectionscouldbeimprovedbyproposingthefollowingarrangement:oneregionalelectionandonenationalelection,heldtwo-and-a-halfyearapartfromoneanother.Theregionalelec-tionwouldincludeelectionsofgovernors,mayors,regents,andmembersoftheregionallegislature(DPRD);whilethenationalelectionwould includeelectionsofthepresident/vice-presidentandthenationallegislatures.Arrangingelectionsinthiswaywouldallowpoliticalparties,candidates,politicalstakeholders,andtheirconstituentstoadequatelyfocusbetweeneitherlocalornationalissues,butonlyoneatatimeandnotsimultaneously.

List of Acronyms and References

59

List of AcronymsAGENDA TheAssociationofSoutheastAsianNationsGeneralElectionNetworkfor

DisabilityAccess

Bawaslu BadanPengawasPemilihanUmum(TheElectionOversightBody)

BPP BilanganPembagiPemilih(VoterDivisorNumber)

Bupati Regent

C-1Form FormulirC1(PollingStationResultsForm)

Dapil DaerahPemilihan(ElectoralDistrict/Constituency)

DB1 FormulirDB1(SubDistrictResultsForm)

DC1 FormulirDC1(RegencyResultsForm)

DKPP DewanKehormatanPenyelenggaraPemilu(TheHonoraryCouncilofElectionManagementBodies)

DPD DewanPerwakilanDaerah(HouseofRegionalRepresentatives)

DPK DaftarPemilihKhusus(SpecialVoterList)

DPKTb DaftarPemilihKhususTambahan(AdditionalSpecialVotersList)

DPR DewanPerwakilanRakyat(People'sRepresentativeCouncil)

DPRDKabupaten/Kota DewanPerwakilanRakyatKabupaten/Kota(Regency/MunicipalPeople’sRep-resentativeCouncil)

DPRDProvinsi DewanPerwakilanRakyatDaerah-Provinsi(ProvincialPeople’sRepresenta-tiveCouncil)

DPS DaftarPemilihSementara(TemporaryVoterList)

DPT DaftarPemilihTetap(FinalVoterList)

DPTb DaftarPemilihTambahan(AdditionalVoterList)

E-KTP KartuTandaPendudukElectronic(ElectronicIDCard)

Gerindra PartaiGerakanIndonesiaRaya(GreatIndonesiaMovementParty)

Golkar PartaiGolonganKarya(FunctionalGroupParty)

Hanura PartaiHatiNuraniRakyat(People'sConscienceParty)

IFES InternationalFoundationforElectoralSystems

IRI InternationalRepublicanInstitute

JPPR JaringanPendidikanPemilihuntukRakyat(ThePeople'sVoterEducationNetwork)

Kabupaten Regency

60

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

Kecamatan SubDistrict

Kemlu KementrianLuarNegeri(ForeignMinistry)

Kota Municipality

KPI KomisiPenyiaranIndonesia(IndonesianBroadcastingCommission)

KPK KomisiPemberantasanKorupsi(TheCorruptionEradicationCommission)

KPPS KelompokPenyelenggaraPemungutanSuara(PollWorkers)

KPU KomisiPemilihanUmum(GeneralElectionCommission)

KPUD KomisiPemilihanUmumDaerah(RegionalGeneralElectionCommission)

LP3ES LembagaPenelitian,PendidikandanPeneranganEkonomidanSosial(Insti-tuteforSocialandEconomicResearch,EducationandInformation)

LSI LembagaSurveiIndonesia(TheIndonesianSurveyInstitute)

MD3 LawonMPR,DPR,DPD,andDPRD

MK MahkamahKonstitusi(ConstitutionalCourt)

MPR MajelisPermusyawaratanRakyat(People'sConsultativeAssembly)

NasDem PartaiNasionalDemokrat(NationalDemocraticParty)

NGO Non-GovernmentOrganization

NTB NusaTenggaraBarat(WestNusaTenggara)

NTT NusaTenggaraTimur(EastNusaTenggara)

NU NahdlatulUlama(IndonesiaTraditionalistSunniIslamGroup)

PA PartaiAceh(AcehParty)

PAN PartaiAmanatNasional(NationalMandateParty)

Panlih PanitiaPemilih(ElectionCommittee)

PBB PartaiBulanBintang(CrescentStarParty)

PD PartaiDemokrat(DemocratParty)

PDA PartaiDamaiAceh(AcehPeaceParty)

PDIP PartaiDemokrasiIndonesiaPerjuangan(IndonesianDemocracyPartyofStruggle)

Perludem PerkumpulanuntukPemiludanDemokrasi(AssociationforElectionsandDemocracy)

Perppu PeraturanPemerintahPenggantiUndang-Undang(GovernmentRegulationsinLieuofLaw)

61

Persepsi PerhimpunanSurveiOpiniPublikIndonesia(TheIndonesianAssociationforPublicOpinionSurveys)

PKB PartaiKebangkitanBangsa(NationalAwakeningParty)

PKPI PartaiKeadilandanPersatuanIndonesia(Indonesia'sJusticeandUnityParty)

PKS PartaiKeadilanSejahtera(ProsperousJusticeParty)

PNA PartaiNasionalAceh(AcehNationalParty)

PPP PartaiPersatuanPembangunan(UnitedDevelopmentParty)

PTUN PengadilanTataUsahaNegara(StateAdministrativeCourt)

PTTUN PengadilanTinggiTataUsahaNegara(StateAdministrativeHighCourt)

Puskaptis PusatKajianKebijakandanPembangunanStrategis(TheIndonesianAssocia-tionforPublicOpinionSurveys)

SIDALIH SistemInformasiDataPemilih(VoterRegistrationInformationSystem)

TAF TheAsiaFoundation

TNI TentaraNasionalIndonesia(IndonesianMilitary)

TPS TempatPemungutanSuara(PollingStation)

62

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

References“PelibatanDanPartisipasiMasyarakatDalamPengawasanPemilu;PantauDanLaporkanPelanggranPemilu,”Perludem,2014

“MembangunKesetaraanBerpolitik,JejakLangkahPenguatanHakAsasiPolitikPenyandangDisabilitasDanLansiaMarjinalPadaPemilu2014DiJawaBarat,”B-Trust,2014

“EvaluasiHasilSementaraQuickCountPilpres2014,”PerhimpunanSurveiOpiniPublik(Persepsi),2014

“BukuPanduanAnggotaLegislatif:KerjaUntukRakyat,”AniSucipto[etal…],PuskapolUI,2014

“PotretPemiludalamSudutPandangSengketaHasilPemantauanSidangPerselisihanHasilPemiluLeg-islatif2014,”VeriJunaidi[etal…],Perludem2014

“RapatKerjadanEvaluasiPenyelenggara PemiluTahun2014dan OrientasiTugas,”KPUPapua,18September2014

“Survey:PelayananDisabilitasdalamPemilu2014,”Perludem-JPPR,2014

“Peta Kekerasan Di Indonesia (Januari-April 2014) Dan Kekerasan Pemilu Legislatif 2014, ProgramSistemNasionalPemantauKekerasanTheHabibieCenter,2014

“PemiluAceh2014MasihDiwarnaiKekerasanDanPolitikUang,”JaringanPemiluAceh/JPA(ACSTF-AcehInstitute-ForumLSMAceh-LBHBandaAceh-MATA-SolidaritasPerempuanBandaAceh),2014

“Konferensi Pers Hasil Pemantauan Pemilu Legislatif 2014,” Komite Independen Pemantau Pemilu(KIPP),2014(powerpoint)

“PemetaandanKajianCepatProsentasedanKeterwakilanPermpuandanPeluangKeterpilihanCalonPerempuandalamDaftarCalegTetap(DCT),”KoalisiPerempuanIndonesia(KPI),2014

“MenyapuDapurKotor,RefleksiPerempuanDanPolitikEraReformasi,”AniSoetjipto[etal…],PuskapolUI-TAF-NorwegianEmbassy

“AncamandanIntimidasiterhadapPartisipasiPolitikPerempuandalamPemiluAceh,”LiesMarcoes[etal…],TheAsiaFoundation(TAF),2014

“PencomotanPerempuanuntukDaftarCalon,”LiaWulandari[etal…],Perludem-TheAsiaFoundation(TAF),2013

“HasilSurveiNasionalProgramPartaiPolitikDan Kompetensi Calon Presiden 2014,” SurveyPollingIndonesia(SPIN),2014

“LaporanPemantauanPemilu2014,”MasykurudinHafidz[etal…],JPPR,2014

“SurveiPrilakuPemilihdanPoliticalLinkage:KotaYogyakartadanKabupatenMagelangPadaPemi-luLegislatifTahun2014,”TimPenelitiResearchCenterforPolitikandGovernmentUGM,JPP(JurusanPolitik&PemerintahanFISIPOLUGM)-TheAsiaFoundation,2014

63

“LaporanEvaluasiPemantauanPenyelenggaraanPemilu2014DiLuarNegeri,”MigrantCare,2014

“PenelitianHarapanPublikTerhadapSiaranPemilu2014,”PuslitbangdiklatLPPRRI,2014

“MediaSosialAlatGerakanSipilBelajardarisuksesiJakarta&MasaDepanIndonesia,”AEPriyono[etal…],PublicVirtue,2014

“PanduanPemantauan,KorupsiPemilu,”AdeIrawan[etal…],ICW,2014

“StudiPendahuluanPolaSuaraTidakSahDalamPemiluLegislatif2014,”KurniawanZein,LembagaPe-nelitianPendidikandanPeneranganEkonomiSosial(LP3ES),2014

“StrengtheningPoliticalParticipationofMarginalizedWomen,”TheAsiaFoundation,2014

“ElectionInIndonesia,”TheAsiaFoundation(TAF),2014

“Ancamandan Intimidasi terhadapPartisipasiPolitikPerempuandalamPemiluAceh2104diAceh,”LiesMarcoes[etal…],TheAsiaFoundation(TAF),2014

“JanganSalahPilihLagi,CatatanPolitikdanPemiluLegislatif2014,”YusradiUsman,GayoniMaharaPublishing,2014

“JikaPdipUmumkanJokowiSebagaiCapresPraPemiluLegislatif,EnamParpolBiasGagalMasukSen-ayan,”NinukCucuSuwanti,SinarHarapan(htpp://www.shnews.),19November2013

“PemilihanUmumDiIndonesia2014,”LeoAgustino,Prisma,Vol.33,No.1,2014

“People Power DalamKemenanganJokowi–Jk,”LingkaranSurveiIndonesiadanJaringanIsuPublik,2014

“PanduanCalonLegislatifPerempuanUntukPemilu2014,”AdityaPerdana[etal…],PuskapolUI-CentreforPoliticalStudies,2013

“AnggaranPerjalanandinasDPRDDKIMembengkakJelangPemiluLegislatif,”Fitra(http://seknasfitra.org/anggaran-perjalanan-dinas-dprd-dki-membengkak-jelang-pemilu-legislatif/)

“MasalahDalamPendaftarandan (Daftar)CalonAnggotaDPRdanDPRD,”Sulastio, IPC (htpp://ipc.or.id/?p=687),2014

“MengulikAngaranDebatCapres,”SeknasFitra(htpp://seknasfitra.org/mengulik-anggaran-debatcap-res/),2014

“PartaiPolitik,PemilihanUmum,danKetimpanganSosial&EkonomidiIndonesia:LaporanHasilPene-litian,TimPenelitiINFIDdanLIPI,PustakaSempu-INFID-LIPI,2014

“PertarunganCapresPadaMediaOnline.PenelitianPemberitaanMediaMassaOnlineTerhadapTokohCalonPresidenJelangPilpres2014,”WahyuSubprabowo[etal…],LostaInstitute,Yogyakarta,2014

“PotensiKebocoranAPBN2014UntukKepentinganPolitikMenjelangPemilu2014,”SeknasFitra,2014

64

Comprehensive report of the 2014 Indonesian electoral cycle

“Proceeding Forum Multilateral Riset Kepemiluan: Mewujudkan Inclusiviness DalamPemilu,”SyamsudinHaris[etal…],PusatPenelitianPolitikLIPI–AEC,2014

“StudiPenjajakanLembagaRisetPemiluDiIndonesia,”Prof(Ris.)Dr.SyamsuddinHaris[etal…],PusatPenelitianPolitikLembagaIlmuPengetahuanIndonesia(P2P-LIPI)-AEC

“AnalisisPerolehanSuaraDalamPemilu2014,OligarkiPolitikDiBalikKeterpilihanCalegPerempuan,”PuskapolFISIPUI

“SurveiPersepsiPemilihPemulaPadaPemerintah,Korupsi,DanPemiluNasional2014,”TransparencyInternationalIndonesia,2014

“EvaluasiPemiluLegislatifdanRekomendasiuntukPemiluPresidendanWakilPresidenTahun2014,”(HasilDiskusiMejaBundarPemerhatiPemilu.Jakarta,30Mei2014)Prof.RamlanSurbakti[etal…]

“EvaluasiPemiluLegislatifdanRekomendasiuntukPemiluPresidendanWakilPresidenTahun2014,”(HasilDiskusiMejaBundarPemerhatiPemilu.Jakarta,5Juni 2014)TitiAnggraini[etal…]

“EvaluasiPilpres2014danRekomendasiuntukPemiluMendatang,”(HasilDiskusiMejaBundarPemer-hatiPemilu.Jakarta,5Juni2014)TitiAnggraini[etal…]

“PemiluDalamKata:GambaranPemiluLegislatifdanPemiluPresiden2014,”KomisiPemilihanUmum(KPU)RI,2014

www.rumahpemilu.orgDecember@2014