Safrin La Batu, Jakarta – The first official debate between Jakarta gubernatorial candidates failed to attract more voters to each candidate, as most swing voters, the group targeted in the event, were not impressed by the candidates' performance, a researcher has said.

"Only five to 10 percent of around 29 percent swing voters changed their minds on who they will vote for after watching the first debate," Jakarta-based pollster Populi Center director Usep S. Ahyar said on Thursday night.

Some 7 million Jakarta citizens will vote on Feb. 15.

Usep said failing to convince these swing voters meant failing in the debate. "No matter how good a candidate appears in a debate, he or she won't be able to convince other candidates' loyal voters," he told The Jakarta Post.

Worse still, Usep said, the majority of the 10 percent that changed their minds would remain swing voters, "at the most, only two percent of them became loyal voters."

Populi's survey in mid-December showed Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and Sylviana Murni pair's loyal supporters reached 63.9 percent; those of the incumbent Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama-Djarot Sjaiful amounted to 77.6 percent; while Anies Baswedan-Sandiaga had some 72.7 percent.

Usep said the performance of each candidate pair was what prevented them from gaining more votes. He said while Ahok and Djarot focused too much on clarifying their policies that had spurred controversy such as evictions, other pairs did not capitalize on the opportunity to offer more sound and convincing programs.

LIPI senior researcher Syamsuddin Haris said Ahok-Djarot's challengers should have used the debate to explain and detail their solutions to problems in Jakarta rather than explain abstract programs.Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2017/01/20/jakarta-gubernatorial-debate-fails-to-impress-swing-voters-researcher.html