Tools & Resources
Filter by
Type
Publication date
Language
Type
Publication date
Language
News & Updates
Feature
IFES President Visits Medan, Indonesia, to Support Women’s Leadership Program
Following Indonesia’s July 9 presidential election, IFES President and CEO Bill Sweeney travelled to Medan in North Sumatra to meet with some of the participants of IFES’ women’s leadership program. The program, implemented in partnership with the Center for Political Studies, Department of Political Science (Puskapol) at the University of Indonesia, aims to address the lack of representation in the field of electoral administration in Indonesia and prepare women to serve in different positions in electoral administration.
News & Updates
Feature
The 2014 Indonesian Presidential Election
On July 9, the 189 million Indonesians currently on the voter list are eligible to choose their next President. The frontrunner, according to polls, is Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, known popularly as Jokowi, who only entered politics in 2005 when he became the mayor of Surakarta in Central Java. Prior to that, he manufactured and sold furniture. The second contender is Prabowo Subianto, a former general whose last public post was in 1998 as the head of the Army Strategic Reserves Command. Following the turmoil that ended the three-decade-old Suharto regime and ushered the world’s fourth most populous country into democracy, Prabowo left the army and Indonesia. Both candidates’ running mates are veteran politicians. Jokowi, 52, selected 71-year old Jusuf Kalla, the country’s Vice President from 2004-2009. Prabowo selected Hatta Rajasa, the chief of the National Mandate Party (Partai Amanat Nasional, PAN).
News & Updates
Feature
Indonesia Presidential Election Visit Program
On July 9, 2014, as part of the IFES Indonesia Presidential Election Visit Program, IFES Indonesia Program Officer Marti Yusnida and I visited Rutan Pondok Women’s Prison in Jakarta with a group of female diplomats. In Indonesia, unlike many other countries, prisoners serving a custodial sentence have the right to vote.
News & Updates
Press Release
AGENDA – General Election Network for Disability Access Election Monitoring Mission for Presidential Election
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations General Election Network for Disability Access (AGENDA) conducted an election monitoring mission today for the presidential election in Indonesia. The election monitoring mission focused only on aspects of accessibility for persons with disabilities.
News & Updates
Press Release
IFES Remembers Indonesian Disability Rights Leader Yusdiana
The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) is deeply saddened by the passing of Senior Disability Rights Adviser Yusdiana (“Diana”) of Indonesia. She died of complications after surgery in Jakarta on December 28. Our sincerest thoughts are with her family and the disability community.
Publication
Report/Paper
2004 Elections in the Republic of Indonesia: Looking Back and Looking Forward
In 2004, Indonesia completed a series of national elections that demonstrated the country’s rapid democratic development since the collapse of the Suharto regime in May 1998. IFES has engaged in a broad range of election assistance activities since August 1998 to support Indonesia’s remarkable emergence as a robust democracy.
November 30, 2005
Publication
Report/Paper
Electoral System Proposed in Draft Election Law: Multi-Member District Proportional Representation and Open List Voting
This report is an analysis of newly proposed election laws in Indonesia. The document details various voting methods, the selection of the number of seats in parliament and voter districts.
June 30, 2002
Publication
Report/Paper
IFES in Indonesia
-Legal and Constitutional Reform- IFES promotes legal and constitutional reform in Indonesia as part of an overall effort to encourage democracy in the region, working closely with key government agencies involved in drafting new electoral and political laws for the country. We have provided strategic advice and analysis to the drafting team within the Ministry of Home and Regional Affairs (MoHARA) and will continue to provide expert commentary to the parliamentary commission charged with review of the draft laws submitted by the government. We have also produced a report on voting systems that could work under the new electoral laws, including detailed analysis of possible voting districts using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. In June 2002, IFES co-sponsored a Political Party Reform Conference with the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute. The conference was a working session for Indonesian political parties and broke ground on a number of innovative research projects in such areas as the influence of money in politics and the public’s opinion of Indonesian political parties. We presented a paper on electoral systems, such as open list proportional representation and multi-member district proportional representation, which could be used for the 2004 elections in Indonesia. IFES has taken the lead in addressing the issue of women’s representation in politics. In April 2002, we collaborated with an Indonesian NGO, GPSP, to develop an agenda for a nationwide training program and an action plan to increase women’s representation in local parliaments. The training program and action plan were presented at regional workshops where participants developed local strategies to address obstacles to women’s representation. -Election Administration- For four years IFES has provided technical advice to the Indonesian National Election Commission (KPU) and its Secretariat in such areas as electoral management, public relations, organizational structure and procurement policies. In May 2002, IFES embarked on a new initiative in the province of Aceh, participating in a seminar sponsored by the Center for Electoral Reform (CETRO) on the draft Qa’nun, or electoral law, for direct elections in the province. We made a presentation at the seminar on the timeframe required to prepare for such an important and complex election cycle. -Legislative Transparency- IFES is expanding efforts to increase legislative transparency, particularly at the local level. Through the use of an innovative program known as Local Consultative Forums (LCF), we have built strategic partnerships between local NGOs, community groups, businesses and government. The aim of the LCFs is to increase public awareness and input on issues of interest to the community and to coordinate the production of relevant radio and television programming for regional media. IFES began the program by producing and distributing an LCF handbook, which provides guidance in identifying community needs and methods for participation. We have then assisted local leaders to establish LCFs and facilitated the production of radio and television programs in conjunction with local government and civil society groups. IFES also works with the Indonesian parliament to provide citizens unfettered access to government institutions. In October 1999, we helped launch SWARA, a government affairs television channel based on C-SPAN in the United States. SWARA airs 24 hours per day and features live broadcasts of parliamentary proceedings. Coverage has recently been expanded and enhanced through a number of original new shows, including interviews with the heads of factions, coverage of leadership activities, profiles of parliamentary members, and highlights of key debates and activities within the parliament. SWARA has also extended its coverage in key regions outside of Jakarta where provincial parliaments (DPRD) have requested SWARA programming. SWARA recently began to broadcast DPRD sessions from the troubled province of Aceh in an attempt to make the local government more transparent to the Acehnese people. SWARA also broadcasts DPRD sessions in East Java and Sulawesi. -National and Regional Surveys- IFES has played a lead role in the design, implementation and analysis of public opinion surveys in Indonesia since 1998. Under the auspices of the parliament, we conducted a national public opinion poll in 2002. The poll revealed public perceptions on a wide range of topics, including the performance of the Indonesian government and national leaders, the popularity of political parties, the electoral law reform process and regional autonomy. The results of the survey were presented to the two houses of parliament, their secretariats, the president and her cabinet. These surveys enable government institutions to develop policies that take into account the beliefs and aspirations of the Indonesian people. IFES also recently conducted a public opinion survey in the semi-autonomous region of West Papua in collaboration with eight Papuan research institutes and universities. The survey evaluated the knowledge, opinions, practices and attitudes of people living in West Papua, and the findings will be analyzed for opportunities to create a stable and peaceful society in this ethnically diverse province.
December 31, 2001
Publication
Report/Paper
Effective Electoral Processes and Peaceful Political Transitions
IFES has been engaged in a broad range of election assistance activities since August 1998 to support Indonesia’s remarkable emergence as a robust democracy. In its most recent project, IFES provided advice and support to the relevant government bodies responsible for establishing an impartial and effective election administration in Indonesia, promoted transparent electoral and legislative processes and effective participation by citizens, and supported a peaceful transition under an amended constitution. The project was active from April 2003 through September 2005. Activities were based on IFES’ on-going observations, assessments, and experience in Indonesia since 1998 and they addressed key objectives in the electoral environment: 1) Help appropriate Indonesian organizations build an impartial and effective electoral administration, voter information capacity, and legal frameworks. 2) Unofficially inform voters and the public of the election results and verify information from the General Election Commission (KPU).
September 29, 2005