Indonesian Elections

RS21874 -- Indonesian Elections

Updated May 20, 2005

Summary

On April 5, 2004, Indonesia successfully completed the first step of a multi-phase election process for 2004. The first phase elected the national legislature and the new regional representative council. The second phase, held on July 5, 2004, sought to elect a President. This led to a run-off election on September 20, 2004, between Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the current president, and Megawati Sukarnoputri, the former president of Indonesia. The 2004 elections were judged to be free and fair. This bodes well for evolution of democracy in Indonesia. Nationalist and secular parties were the most popular with voters. The Islamist parties' limited appeal can be attributed more to their anti-corruption and good governance policies than to an overtly Islamist agenda. This report will not be updated.