Calm Before a Storm: What’s at Stake in Indonesia’s Presidential Election

The Straits Times

14 April 2019

There is an increasing sense on the ground that the final outcome in the rematch between incumbent president Joko Widodo and his two-time rival Prabowo Subianto may lie in the hands of wildcard voters who may yet tip the balance of a tight and high-stakes race. Jokowi’s choice of teaming up with cleric Dr Ma’ruf Amin inevitably gave momentum to golput, a movement of Indonesians planning to deliberately invalidate their ballots or abstain from voting in protest. RSIS analyst Made Ayu Mariska said the voters decided to golput because of distrust, dissatisfaction, and disappointment in both candidates. The voters also feel that whoever wins the elections will make no difference to their lives, Ms Made added.

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