LONG ROAD TO DEMOCRATIC MATURITY
The Prabowo-Gibran ticket was supported by a coalition of nine political parties. His two opponents meanwhile are each supported by four parties.
With Mr Prabowo set to be the country’s next president, Mr Burhanuddin says he predicts his coalition will expand, attracting parties that originally supported Mr Anies or Mr Ganjar.
“Prabowo has said that he is willing to work with anyone,” he noted.
But academics and civil society groups – who have already lamented the erosion of democracy during the campaign – may be dismayed by such an outcome.
“I worry that there will not be any opposition (to Mr Prabowo’s presidency). Even if there is, it will be uneven and ineffective,” Mr Burhanuddin said.
Political analyst Mr Yoes Kenawas from Jakarta’s Atma Jaya University said that many Indonesians are also worried about the rise of political dynasties in Indonesia.
“This election has set a bad precedent,” Mr Yoes told CNA.
Mr Gibran was originally not qualified to run as the 2017 Law on Election stated that a presidential or vice presidential candidate must be at least 40 years of age.
However, the Constitutional Court in October – chaired by his uncle, then-chief justice Anwar Usman – ruled that the requirement does not apply to an elected public official. Gibran is currently the mayor of Surakarta, better known as Solo.
The court decision also sparked widespread protests across the nation.
There have also been allegations that Mr Widodo mobilised or condoned the mobilisation of public officers to support Mr Prabowo’s campaign.
“Indonesia is the third-largest democracy … we have celebrated, and played such an important role in promoting democracy in the region, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and also globally. Now Indonesia’s democracy is a big question mark to us, and for me I’m broken-hearted,” research professor Dewi Anwar Fortuna of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) told CNA’s election result show.
But as this election has shown many Indonesians are willing to look past the issue, Mr Yoes said, in exchange for programmes like cash aids for the poor and other incentives.
Mr Prabowo’s vote share, which surpasses that in pre-election surveys earlier this month, suggests the majority of the voters want a continuation of Jokowi’s policies, Mr Yoes said.
“Prabowo’s campaign has been effective to attract voters’ support, especially the young voters. The use of political gimmicks has been effective to shift the policy debates into likes and dislikes,” Mr Yoes said.