Ezra Sihite & Lenny Tristia Tambun – Incumbent Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo's defeat to Solo Mayor Joko Widodo in the Jakarta gubernatorial race was a big blow to major political parties that backed him up for the governorship.
"It's undeniable that the [regional election outcome] is a big blow to parties that supported [him] and it was the political parties' failure to capture the wish of the Jakarta people who wanted change," said Teguh Juwarno, secretary of National Mandate Party (PAN) faction on Friday.
Teguh said that Jokowi and his running mate Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama are considered original and modest figures who promised to bring improvement and changes to the capital.
He said that what political parties should understand from the outcome is that the charisma of a candidate becomes an important factor in regional head elections and legislative elections.
Ramadhan Pohan, secretary general of the Democratic Party, said Jokowi's victory was not the work of the parties that supported him but that he won because the people wanted change.
Ramadhan said that Jokowi's victory surprised not only the party but also the Indonesian people in general. He emphasized that Jokowi and Basuki's victory is a warning that it was now time for the country be led by a younger generation.
"The Jakarta election result surprised us all. Surprisingly, Jokowi-Ahok won significantly. The people like them despite their younger age. This is a danger sign for old candidates," he said. "What happened in the Jakarta election could have an impact on the 2014 presidential election."
Meanwhile, M. Romahurmuziy, secretary general of the United Development Party (PPP), said political parties that supported Fauzi Bowo and his running mate Nachrowi Ramli had worked hard to get him to win but the efforts failed due to the candidates' lack of charm.
"Compared to the first round, Foke's vote-increase in the second round was higher than Jokowi's. Quick counts from several survey companies showed that Foke gained 47 percent of the vote. This means Foke's vote increased 13 percent from the first round, where he gained 34 percent of the vote in the real count. Compare this to Jokowi's quick count that estimated a 10 percent increase," he said.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono congratulated Jokowi via telephone from Cikeas, Bogor on Thursday night.
[Additional reporting from Suara Pembaruan.]