Ridwan Max Sijabat, Jakarta – Most governors, mayors and regents who have come to power in direct regional elections across the country received less than 50 percent of the popular vote, a recent study says.
The survey released by the People's Voter Education Network (JPPR) said out of a total of 226 local elections taking place from May 2005 to May 2006, 67.70 percent, or 153 regional heads won pluralities.
The JPPR comprises some 30 NGOs, most of which are affiliated to the nation's two largest Muslim organizations, Nadhlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah.
JPPR coordinator Adung A. Rochman said winning less than 50 percent of the vote could create political problems for new regional leaders. "This has been evident in Banyuwangi and Tuban (both in East Java)," he said Friday.
Banyuwangi Regent Ratna Ani Lestari, who won 39 percent of the vote for the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in an election last June, had faced a concerted campaign to oust her by the local legislative council where she had little support, Adung said.
Adung said there was something wrong with an election system that made it possible for candidates to win with less than 25 percent of the vote. "There must be changes to the current election system to increase this figure," he said.
Regional elections were also characterized by low voter turnouts, vote buying, voter manipulation and fear-mongering, he said. "Many candidates chose to buy votes or threaten voters, rather than formulate good policies," Adung said.
In Muna and Tasikmalaya, he said, candidates persuaded clerics to issue edicts, promising voters they would go to heaven if they voted the right way. The defeated candidates in Banyuwangi, meanwhile, mobilized their supporters in anti-government rallies, and those in Tuban incited groups to violence against the elected regent, he said.
Commenting on the study, political analyst Daniel Sparingga said many local elections had negative outcomes because of the kinds of people who were elected.
"Local elections ideally elect legitimate leaders to form democratic governments, which provide services to the public and work to improve their welfare. However, those here often become stages for local elites in a cynical struggle for power," he said.
However, another elections expert, Jerome Cheung, the program coordinator for the National Democratic Institute (NDI), said the regional elections were reasonably successful despite some teething problems.
"The direct local elections in general are a good start to promote democracy in the regions and rural areas... and improve public services to locals," he said.
He said voters should not expect candidates to win simple majorities if there were more than two candidates contesting the electoral races.
"Under the law, contestants who receive at least 25 percent of the vote are the legitimate winners and consequently, all those who do not vote for the winners must accept the result and support the administration."
Cheung noted United States President George W. Bush won two consecutive elections with less than 50 percent of the vote. Despite this, his victories were declared valid and most people considered him the legitimate leader of the nation, even if they disagreed with his policies, Cheung said.
Candidates and parties that wanted power for power's sake and had vague or badly defined policies were the main cause of voter apathy and discontent, not the election system, he said.