Ronna Nirmala & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Banten's incumbent governor has been returned to office with the help of a former TV star, according to unofficial quick counts from Saturday's election, consolidating her family's grip on power in the province.

Unofficial results from three organizations – Indonesian Voting Network (JSI), Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) and Indonesian Image Consultants – all give the current governor, Ratu Atut Chosiyah, and her running mate, Rano Karno, around 50 percent of the vote.

The next closest candidates are Wahidin Halim and his running mate, Irna Narulita, with around 38 percent of the vote, followed by Jazuli Juwaeni and Makmun Muzzaki, with about 12 percent. The victory for Atut and Rano, who were backed by the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), while not unexpected, was controversial.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi, a political analyst at the independent Indonesia Survey Institute, said he had expected voters in Banten to return Atut to office.

"I've been predicting an Atut win for a week," Burhanuddin said on Saturday. He said there were three main factors that contributed to her victory.

"The first, and I think most important, is that Atut has misused hundreds of billions [of rupiah] from the Banten provincial budget for her campaign," he claimed. Burhanuddin did not say how the money was allegedly misused and he did not offer proof to back up the claim.

The second factor, he said, was Rano Karno's star power stemming from his role in the popular, long-running TV series "Si Doel Anak Sekolahan" ("Doel the School Boy"). "This is not about Rano Karno's political abilities, but about his popularity compared to that of the other candidates," Burhanuddin said.

Finally, he said, voter apathy among Banten's middle- and upper-income households played in the favor of Atut. "I suspect that the voter turnout in Banten on Saturday was only around 55 percent," he said.

He added his suspicion that the majority of those who did come out to vote received some kind of "bonus" or "incentive" from Atut, though again he offered no proof to back the claim.

"If middle-class and upper- class voters, those with more education than the average resident, took part in the election, then I am confident that Atut's share of the vote would have crumbled a little, with the two other candidates eating into her lead," he said.

Burhanuddin said it was disappointing that Banten voters had failed to take a closer look at Atut's record and accomplishments during her term. "It's obvious that Atut has bribed the public," he alleged.

Ibramsyah, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia, is among many commentators who have said that Atut and her family are consolidating a political dynasty in Banten.

Ratu Tatu Chasanah, Atut's younger sister, is the deputy district chief of Serang, which falls under Banten's jurisdiction.

Their step-brother, Nurjaman, is the deputy mayor of Serang, the capital of both the district and the province. Atut's son, Andika Hazrumy, is a member of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) in Jakarta, while Ade Rosi, Atut's daughter-in-law, is a legislative councilor in Serang.

At least one member of the clan has been implicated in using public funds to ensure electoral victory previously.

The Constitutional Court nullified the result of last November's South Tangerang mayoral election, which was won by Atut's sister-in-law, Airin Rachmi Diany. One of the judges said there was "structured, systematic and massive" law-breaking in the election. A second election was ordered by the court, which Airin again won.