On 27 June, Indonesia held elections for mayors and governors in 154 districts and 17 provinces. It was the third and final round of such regional elections – referred to as pilkada – in this five year electoral cycle.
The 2018 pilkada were particularly significant, for several reasons. They included gubernatorial elections in five provinces that between them account for more than half of Indonesia’s population: West Java, Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra and South Sulawesi.
It was also the first opportunity to observe how the divisive dynamics of the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial elections might affect future elections. And with the national legislative and presidential elections now less than a year away, in April 2019, these local elections have been watched closely for any clues as to how next year’s political contests might play out.
In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae discusses this round of local elections, their results and their broader implications with a panel of leading political observers: Dr Charlotte Setijadi (ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and Talking Indonesia co-host), Dr Philips Vermonte (executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS) and Dr Eve Warburton (ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute).
In 2018, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Dirk Tomsa from La Trobe University and Dr Charlotte Setijadi.
Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via iTunes or listen via your favourite podcasting app.
