Abdul Khalik and Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – A voting mechanism will be legislators' last resort to pass the presidential election bill, with most major factions at the House of Represen

Adianto P.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has, after some delays, finally published the preliminary list of 11,868 legislative candidates for the total 560 seats in the 2009 elections.

Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – The ideal proportion of votes a party must win to be able to put forward a presidential candidate would be around 20 percent, which would create a solid and e

An opposition plan for a massive march on East Timor's capital and rumours of tension in the police force are raising concerns of a return to instability in the tiny Southeast Asian nat

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The Golkar Party is facing the threat of internal disintegration, with influential members and affiliated groups seemingly at odds with party chairman and Vice P

Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – Informal lobbying within the House of Representatives special committee deliberating the presidential election bill is expected to expedite a decision on the

East Timor's prime minster says he will not allow a new wave of instability as the opposition Fretilin party prepares for a demonstration in the capital Dili.

Dian Kuswandini, Jakarta – In an attempt to promote transparency and prevent illegal funding in the presidential election, the House of Representatives has agreed on prison terms for ca

Jose Sarito Amaral, Jakarta – Prime Minister of East Timor Xanana Gusmao dismissed Fretilin's threat to bring in thousands of supporters to urge East Timor government to hold a general

Famega Syafira/Wikipedia, Jakarta – Fretilin demanded a re-election in East Timor, the party Secretary General Mari Alkatiri said on Thursday when meeting the chairman of Muhammadiyah,

A preliminary list of legislative candidates eligible to compete in next year's elections was published last Friday, sending many of the country's 38 registered parties into a frenzy of

Abdul Khalik and Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Vice President Jusuf Kalla has hinted at his readiness to stand as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's running mate in the 2009 presidential

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Sunday announcement that he will run for reelection, which came 10 months before the 2009 presidential election scheduled fo

Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has said he will run for a second term in next year's election, with Vice President Jusuf Kalla his probable running mate.

Adianto P.

Jakarta – House special committee drafting the bill on the president and vice president election have agreed to include a provision to fine candidates who bail out prior to the election

Olivia Rondonuwu and Ed Davies, Jakarta – Retired Indonesian general Wiranto, a controversial figure over rights abuses in East Timor who looks set to run for president next year, said

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Most people in the country believe all political parties offer empty promises and are unable to change Indonesia for the better, a survey released Friday shows.

Adianto P.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – Aceh might be dubbed the "Veranda of Mecca", but that seems to have done little to help the 81 candidates for the Aceh provincial legislative council who

Banda Aceh – Political parties in Indonesia's Aceh province pledged peace Friday for the first national elections since government and rebel forces signed a deal to end decades of war.

Hestiana Dharmastuti, Jakarta – House of Representatives (DPR) legislative member Ade Daud Nasution has been dismissed from the house and his membership of the Star Reform Party (PBR) r

Aubrey Belford, Jakarta – The old faces of Indonesia's elite look set to dominate next year's presidential election but new blood is needed to end the poverty and corruption plaguing th

By Budi Wardoyo¹

Suherdjoko and Desy Nurhayati, Semarang, Jakarta – National Awakening Party (PKB) members affiliated with Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid have besieged a local elections commission office f

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – A number of non-governmental organizations in Bandung announced Monday an "anti-rotten" politician campaign, asking people not to vote for politicians who ha

Suwardiman – The image presented by elite leaders and a political party appears to be the main consideration that will increasingly be taken into account by prospective voters in the 20

Suwardiman – The geo-political map in the 2009 general elections could be very different from previous elections.

[The following are notes intended to be the first in a series of informal commentaries on the 2009 Indonesian election campaign.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Independent Election Committee (KIP) emphasized Sunday that the planned Koran proficiency test for legislative candidates in the province would

Jakarta – Candidates of House of Representatives member from Aceh are scheduled to follow Koran reading test next week, as part of candidacy criteria.

Jakarta – Former president Abdurahman "Gus Dur" Wahid says he will support former minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra in the presidential election next year.

In true keeping with the classic political adageare no permanent friends or enemies, but interests", some politicians have decided to put old rivalries on the back burner in the run-up

Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – Public hopes for a democratic election received a new boost on Wednesday, with the government throwing its weight behind a political move to introduce an open

Aubrey Belford, Jakarta – With his sculpted abdominals proudly displayed on his Facebook profile, male model Adrian Maulana cuts a very different figure to the ex-generals and dynastic

Eko Ari Wibowo, Jakarta – The National Election Commission rejected on Tuesday the application of Pelopor Party for failing to meet the minimum percentage of female legislator candidate

Laurencius Simanjuntak, Jakarta – In the lead up to the 2009 general elections many legislative candidates are using advertisements in the mass media to campaign for themselves.

Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – The predominately Muslim province of Aceh Nanggroe Darussalam is requiring thousands of its legislative candidates to take a Koran proficiency test befor

Jakarta – Three activists has filed for a judicial review with the Constitutional Court on Wednesday to demand it annul several articles in the 2003 law on presidential elections.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Scores of Golkar politicians have questioned the party's seriousness in adopting an open system to determine its legislative candidates for the 2009 election.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Despite a glut of new contenders for the presidency in 2009, it looks likely the President and his predecessor will square off in a repeat of their 2004 duel, a

Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The preference of some political parties to use the majority vote as the basis for the selection of legislative candidates will prejudice the chances of female

Hadi Santoso, Jakarta – The retreat of key cadres to other parties has left the Labour Party overwhelmed in its attempts to compose a list of legislative candidates.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – Sri Sultan Hamengkubowono X has been deemed the country's most competent presidential candidate, defeating both President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his predec

Oyos Saroso H.N., Bandarlampung – Seven Lampung gubernatorial candidate pairs took part in a live televised debate organized by Lampung's General Elections Commission (KPUD) and Metro T

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – The country's two biggest political parties are reviving attempts to establish a coalition for the 2009 presidential race.

Adianto P.

Abdul Khalik, Jakarta – More than 36 million voting-age citizens might be staying at home for the 2009 legislative election, as a recent survey shows their names are not included in the

Vannessa Hearman – Indonesian labour activist and chairperson of the Deliberative Council of the National Liberation Party of Unity (Papernas), Dita Sari, has declared that she will run