Ian Douglas Wilson

Paramilitary mass organisations (ormas) have re-emerged in recent months as volatile high-profile actors, prompting concerns over the potential resurgence of informal coercive practices under Prabowo’s presidency.

Recent student-led demonstrations throughout Indonesia show that popular support for democracy remains high. This support is not necessarily shared, however, by political parties who are collaborating in an increasingly cartel-like fashion to shrink electoral competition.

Grassroots legislative candidates in Jakarta face an uphill battle in their struggle to make electoral politics work for the poor, including changing perceptions of the value of a vote.

Indonesia’s upcoming presidential and legislative elections will take place against a backdrop of increasing party and legislative buy-in to the idea of downsizing the scale of direct elections. What might a Prabowo presidency mean for the future of its electoral democracy?

The appointment of a caretaker governor for Jakarta might come across as a routine procedure. In the case of Heru Budi Hartono, however, his employment of a politically partisan approach throws up initial indications of the battle lines going into the 2024 presidential elections.