Analysis: Indonesia kicks off election season today to pick new president, legislators next February – here’s what to expect

JAKARTA: Indonesia officially enters election mode on Thursday (Oct 19), with registration open for candidates keen to contest various elections, including the race to pick the country’s next new president.

More than 204 million Indonesians will hit the ballot booths on Feb 14, 2024 as the world’s third-biggest democracy is set to also decide on members of its national, regional and city-level parliaments.

In total, more than 20,000 positions are up for grabs, which is why pundits and media outlets are calling it the world’s biggest single-day elections.

The country will also stage simultaneous elections on Nov 27, 2024 to elect 38 governors, 416 regents and 98 mayors across the country, the first time they are being held in the same year as national elections.

The outcome of these elections will determine who gets to lead Southeast Asia’s biggest economy and whether the next leader will continue or instead undo the legacy left behind by the current president Joko Widodo, such as his foreign policies, as well as his social and infrastructure programmes. 

The president, popularly known as Jokowi, is barred from running for a third term by the Indonesian Constitution. 

Analysts are predicting that 2024 will be an intense year for Indonesia’s political landscape, with tensions and instability potentially spilling into the following year.

“The advantage (of simultaneous elections) is all the political tensions associated with elections are contained within the same year allowing for more political stability in the four years that followed,” Mdm Titi Anggraini, an expert on election law from University of Indonesia, told CNA.

“The downside is: this creates a substantial amount of complexities and challenges in the election process itself, potentially overwhelming not only election organisers but also the voters.”