At Work Around the World

Indonesia

The Carter Center was present in Indonesia to observe the largest single-day election in the world in July 2004.


Building Hope

Indonesia, formerly known as the Dutch East Indies until it achieved independence from the Netherlands in 1949, is the world's largest archipelago with more than 17,000 islands, though only 6,000 are inhabited. The nation possesses the largest Muslim population in the world. Indonesia's transition to democracy presents a unique challenge as the country only recently ended 40 years of military rule in 1998. The Carter Center was present in Indonesia in 1999 to observe the nation's first democratic elections, and the Center continued its commitment to help Indonesia grow and deepen its democratic practices by observing the first direct presidential elections in July 2004.


Waging Peace

Monitoring Elections

After 40 years of military-backed governments, Indonesia began a democratic transition in 1998. In June 1999, Indonesia held its first genuinely democratic elections for the legislature, a process monitored by The Carter Center. The vote for legislative seats was the first step in electing a new president after the May 1998 resignation of President Suharto, who led an authoritarian government for 32 years. While his ruling Golkar party won every election for nearly 20 years, 48 parties were approved for the 1999 ballot when his successor, interim President B.J. Habibie, agreed to hold open elections. The Center and the National Democratic Institute fielded a 100-member delegation led by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and concluded, along with other international election observer organizations, that the elections were credible and represented the will of the people.

Following the parliamentary vote, Abdurrahman Wahid was selected president in November 1999 by the 700-member People's Consultative Assembly, a body including the legislature and other specially represented regional, social, and demographic groups. In July 2001, however, less than two years into his term, President Wahid was removed from office and replaced by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri, following an extended clash with the national legislature regarding Wahid's alleged mismanagement and mishandling of state funds.

Since 1999, Indonesians have gained new political freedoms, but public opinion polls found that most Indonesians were becoming disillusioned with the government and the country's economic decline.

A Carter Center assessment team met with political parties, election officials, civil society, and observer groups in January 2004, all of whom encouraged international observers from the Center to help build confidence in the elections. President Megawati and the election commission, Komisi Pemilihan Umum, formally invited The Carter Center to send observers to the elections.

The Carter Center opened a Jakarta office in April 2004 to begin a long-term observation of electoral conditions leading up to Indonesia's July 5 presidential elections. This observation continued through the Sept. 20 runoff to early November.

"The 2004 elections were the first electoral test of Indonesia's democratic political institutions and processes since the transitional elections in 1999 and were a critical opportunity to demonstrate that the democratic process can yield effective leaders and accountable government," said Dr. David Pottie, senior program associate of the Center's Democracy Program.
In late June, with the leadership of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Rosalynn Carter, and former Prime Minister of Thailand Chuan Leekpai, the Center deployed 60 international observers to 17 provinces for the July 5 presidential election. The observers met with local officials, campaign teams, and domestic observers and observed voting, counting, and initial tabulation.

The delegation leadership met in Jakarta with leaders of the major parties of the electoral commission, KPU, Constitutional Court, leaders of nonpartisan domestic election-monitoring organizations, and others.

Five presidential candidates were nominated following the April legislative elections, including President Megawati Soekarnoputri, Wiranto (a former military general and standard-bearer for Golkar), Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (another former general, usually referred to as SBY), Amien Rais (speaker of the national assembly), and Hamzah Haz (the incumbent vice president). In the event that no candidate received a majority of the votes, a runoff election would be held between the top two candidates.

The Center's observers generally found the polling stations they visited were well-organized, functioned effectively, and had their full staff and necessary election materials. Polling station officials in some locations, however, were lax in applying administrative procedures. Observers reported, for example, a consistent failure to check fingers for ink prior to voting and the use of poor quality ink on voters' fingers after they had cast their ballots. In some locations, the polling station layout did not ensure privacy in the polling booth. Several polling stations closed well in advance of 1 p.m., and some began an early count.

Of concern to The Carter Center and other observers was the high percentage of ballots classified as invalid across the country because many voters did not unfold ballots completely before indicating their choice. This ballot problem could have been avoided with better planning and more timely training of polling officials and voters. The Center recommended that during verification of the final result, candidate representatives and observers have full access to monitor the entire process to ensure that it is transparent and credible.

Of the five presidential candidates, SBY took the top spot with 33.6 percent of the vote, and Megawati was second with 26.2 percent.

By early August 2004, both SBY and Megawati were holding meetings with Indonesia's various power brokers with the goal of creating multiparty coalitions without losing control over their own specific political objectives and the makeup of the future government. The runoff election day was set for Sept. 22.

The Center's 57-member delegation to observe the September runoff was led by Pete Peterson, former U.S. ambassador to Vietnam and member of the U.S. Congress. The Center's observers met with local officials, campaign teams, and domestic observers and observed the voting, counting, and initial tabulation in 21 provinces. Following the elections, senior staff met with President-elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to congratulate him on his victory. That these extremely complex elections were carried out in such an orderly and successful fashion is a tribute to the hard work of the millions of election officials and the participation of more than 120 million voters.

Election regulations restricted the runoff formal campaign period to only three days. This was inconsistent with international norms for political competition in democratic elections, including norms of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. The Carter Center heard many concerns from representatives of political parties, campaign teams, electoral officials, and civil society throughout the country about the illegitimate use and influence of money in the campaign, including vote buying, and the inappropriate use of government resources.

There were fewer problems with invalid ballots in the second round of elections, unlike in July, when significant numbers of ballots were initially ruled invalid because of double punching. The KPU had taken steps to avoid a repeat of the problem. With only two candidates in the runoff, the ballot paper was also substantially simplified. The KPU's directive permitting an early closing of polling stations in certain circumstances was not uniformly communicated or applied, and this created confusion in some stations. One of the conditions in the directive - that all eligible voters had voted - could almost never be literally met. Many polling station committees evidently interpreted the provision as permitting early closing as long as no more voters were present and candidate witnesses agreed. As a result, some voters who arrived after the close of polls in certain locations found they could not vote.

On Oct. 4, the KPU officially announced that Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla had won the presidency and vice presidency with 69,266,350 votes (60.7 percent), compared to incumbent President Megawati Soekarnoputri and her running mate, Hasyim Muzadi, who obtained 39.4 percent. Partial returns had consistently suggested such a ratio for the previous two weeks. The quick counts conducted by several Indonesian research organizations, including the Institute for Social and Economic Research, Education and Information, provided an independent check of tabulation and results and thus enhanced the transparency of the vote-counting process.

This election marked an important step in Indonesia's dramatic transition from authoritarian rule to democracy. The Carter Center offers its support to the continuing consolidation of democracy in Indonesia.


Updated May 2006




Election Reports

The Carter Center 2004 Indonesia Election Report , June 1, 2005 (PDF) 
The final report of The Carter Center on the 2004 legislative and presidential elections in Indonesia.

Postelection Statement on Indonesia Election, Sept. 22, 2004
The second round of Indonesia's historic first direct presidential election has taken place successfully, in a general atmosphere of calm, order, and open participation. The Carter Center congratulates the people and leaders of Indonesia for the successful conduct of the presidential election and for the peaceful atmosphere that has prevailed throughout Indonesia's three rounds of elections in 2004. This represents a major step in the country's ongoing democratic transition. 

Postelection Statement on Indonesia Elections, Aug. 2, 2004
In support of Indonesia's ongoing democratization and political reform, The Carter Center is continuing to monitor this election, as Indonesian voters for the first time directly choose their president. The Carter Center was invited by the election commission and welcomed by all major political parties. 

Postelection Statement on Indonesia Elections, July 7, 2004 (English and Bahasa)
In support of Indonesia's ongoing democratization and political reform, The Carter Center is pleased to observe this historic election, as Indonesian voters for the first time directly choose their president. The Carter Center, which observed the 1999 national elections, was invited by the election commission and welcomed by all major political parties. 

Pre-election Statement on Indonesia Elections, June 25, 2004
In support of Indonesia's ongoing process of democratization and political reform, The Carter Center is pleased to witness the historic 2004 election, when Indonesian voters for the first time will directly choose their president.