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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Elections & Politics

Puskapol UI: Indonesia Fails in Holding Fair and Honest Elections

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Researchers from the Center for Political Studies at the University of Indonesia (Puskapol UI) argue Indonesia has failed to hold fair and honest elections.
  • They categorize Indonesia within the "electoral autocracy" regime, where elections occur but lack freeness and fairness.
  • Key reasons cited include high political and economic costs leading to oligarchy, a candidate-centric electoral system weakening parties, and weak law enforcement and administrative systems.

Indonesia has failed to conduct fair and honest elections, according to researchers at the Center for Political Studies at the University of Indonesia (Puskapol UI). Delia Wildianti, a researcher at Puskapol UI, based this conclusion on the V-Dem categorization, placing Indonesia in the "electoral autocracy" zone.

"Electoral autocracy is a regime that holds elections but fails to conduct free and fair elections," Wildianti explained during a Zoom meeting on Thursday, July 16, 2026. V-Dem, an international research project, measures and compares democracy levels globally using indicators such as election quality, civil liberties, and government accountability. The analysis suggests Indonesia is trending towards an authoritarian regime, characterized by centralized power and a lack of freedom of opinion and expression.

Electoral autocracy is a regime that holds elections but fails to conduct free and fair elections.

— Delia WildiantiDefining the 'electoral autocracy' category used in the V-Dem framework.

The researchers identified three primary reasons for this categorization. Firstly, political and economic factors contribute to high costs for political parties and campaigns, fostering an environment where wealthy oligarchs can more easily enter government, while civil society struggles to make its voice heard. "This makes oligarchies stronger," Wildianti noted.

This makes oligarchies stronger.

— Delia WildiantiExplaining the impact of high campaign costs on political power structures.

Secondly, institutional factors reveal issues with Indonesia's candidate-centric electoral system design. The burden of campaign and political costs falls heavily on candidates, leading to the deinstitutionalization and personalization of political parties. Furthermore, weaknesses in the administrative and law enforcement systems, including inconsistent legal interpretations between election organizers and the Constitutional Court, were highlighted. "Our law enforcement is very problematic," she stated.

Thirdly, cultural factors and the lack of regulation for digital campaigns on social media were cited. The study found that social media algorithms and the ability for "buzzers" to create unlimited accounts pose challenges. Additionally, campaign advertising is often omitted from official campaign finance reports, a finding observed in Tangerang Selatan, indicating that current election laws inadequately address these digital aspects.

Our law enforcement is very problematic.

— Delia WildiantiHighlighting issues with the enforcement of election laws.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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