Habibie Democracy Dialogue

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Regional Elections are one of the important pillars of Indonesian democracy that allow people to directly elect their leaders at the local level. In 2024, Regional Elections have been successfully held simultaneously in 37 provinces and 508 regencies/cities. The 2024 simultaneous Regional Election is the most politically dynamic Regional Election after the simultaneous General Election in February 2024. The holding of simultaneous general and regional elections in the same year for the first time provides a strategic opportunity to evaluate and strengthen Indonesia's democratic system.

In terms of the implementation of the election by the General Election Commission of the Republic of Indonesia, as the first time to hold simultaneous Regional Elections in 545 regions, in general, the simultaneous Regional Elections in 2024 went well. Although, there were some problems encountered such as delays or re-voting and conflicts at voting stations. However, in terms of substance, adhering to the principle of regional autonomy, ideally the Regional Election is an opportunity for the community to elect leaders who can fight for the interests of the community. Thus, community participation plays an important role in the elections.

Public participation is one of the things that must be evaluated from the 2024 simultaneous Regional Elections due to low participation when measured by public attendance at voting stations. For example, in Jakarta, according to Tempo, only 58 percent of people voted. When referring to the theory of political behavior, low public participation can be caused by various aspects from low political education, lack of access to information, to the level of public trust in the current political system (election administration).

Not only public participation, but another note is also related to the empty box phenomenon. There are 36 regions that are only followed by a single candidate pair in the 2024 simultaneous Regional Elections. Of these 36 regions, two regions, namely Bangka and Pangkalpinang, were won by empty boxes. This reflects the declining public trust in democracy that runs through the 2024 simultaneous Regional Elections. There are still many substantive issues from the principles of democracy and regional autonomy that need to be evaluated in organizing the 2024 Regional Elections.

Interestingly, before the stipulation of the results of the Regional Elections had been completed, a discourse regarding the organization of Regional Elections to be conducted indirectly; elected by the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) by President Prabowo Subianto emerged. One of the reasons is the evaluation of the simultaneous Regional Elections, which consumed a large budget due to the huge political costs. The President's discourse was responded positively by several parties such as Golkar, PKB, and Democratic Party and will be discussed in the House of Representatives. Not only that, the Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, signaled his approval of the discourse.

The organization of Regional Elections is important for democracy and is also related to regional autonomy. If the Regional Election is chosen by the DPRD, the autonomy of the community in determining the Regional Head will be lost. Given the importance of making policies related to the implementation of future Regional Elections based on democratic principles and without ignoring regional autonomy, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Indonesia, The Habibie Center, and supported by the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, will organize the first series of Democracy Dialogues in 2025 entitled “Evaluation and Strategic Direction of the Regional Elections.” This discussion is intended to encourage dialogue between stakeholders related to democracy and development in Indonesia, starting from the regions.