1999 Indonesian legislative election

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1999 Indonesian legislative election
Flag of Indonesia.svg
  1997 7 June 1999 2004  

462 of the 500 seats of the People's Representative Council
232 seats needed for a majority
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri - Indonesia.jpg Akbar Tandjung, Buku Kenangan Anggota Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia 1999-2004, pIII.jpg Official Portrait of Matori Abdul Djalil (1999).jpg
Leader Megawati Sukarnoputri Akbar Tanjung Matori Abdul Djalil
Party PDI-P Golongan Karya PKB
Last election74.51%, 325 seats
Seats won15312051
Seat changeNewDecrease2.svg205New
Popular vote35,689,07323,741,74913,336,982
Percentage33.76%22.46%12.62%
SwingNewDecrease2.svg50.05ppNew

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
  Hamzah Haz, Buku Kenangan Anggota Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia 1999-2004, p38.jpg Amien Rais.jpg KIB Yusril Ihza Mahendra.jpg
Leader Hamzah Haz Amien Rais Yusril Ihza Mahendra
Party PPP PAN PBB
Last election22.43%, 89 seats
Seats won583413
Seat changeDecrease2.svg31NewNew
Popular vote11,329,9057,528,9562,049,708
Percentage10.71%7.12%1.94%
SwingDecrease2.svg11.72ppNewNew

1999 Indonesian legislative election results map by province.svg
1999 Indonesian legislative election results map by city and regency.svg

Leadership before election

MPR: Harmoko (Golkar)
DPR: Harmoko (Golkar)

New leadership

MPR: Amien Rais (PAN)
DPR: Akbar Tanjung (Golkar)

Early legislative elections were held in Indonesia on 7 June 1999. They were the first elections since the fall of Suharto and end of the New Order, the first free elections in Indonesia since 1955, and the first and only free legislative election held in East Timor during Indonesian provincehood. With the ending of restrictions on political activity following the fall of Suharto, a total of 48 parties contested the 462 seats up for election in the People's Representative Council. A further 38 seats were reserved for members of the armed forces.

Contents

Background

Under the New Order, only two political parties forcibly merged in 1973 – Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and United Development Party (PPP) – plus the functional group Golkar had been allowed to participate in elections. [1] [2] With the start of the Reform Era, more than 100 new political parties emerged. [3] New elections were called for 1999 and 148 parties registered with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. Of these, only 48 passed the selection process, overseen by intellectual Nurcholish Madjid. [4] [5] The elections were to be overseen by an independent General Elections Commission (KPU) of 53 members, one from each party and five government representatives. [6]

Electoral system

The system used was based on closed party-list proportional representation at the provincial level (in province-wide districts). Within each province, parties were awarded seats in proportion to their share of the vote. The East Java province had the most number of seats, with 82, while the lowest was in Bengkulu and East Timor with four each. [7]

Campaign

Members of PDI-P rally at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout during the campaign period Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, 1999.jpg
Members of PDI–P rally at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout during the campaign period

The official election campaign began on 19 May 1999 and ended on 4 June to allow two 'rest days' before the vote itself. It was divided into three stages, with different parties being allowed to campaign on different days. [8] However, before the campaign, there was violence between supporters of rival parties. Four people were killed in fighting between followers of the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) on 1 May and three more died in clashes between Golkar and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) supporters on 11 May. [9] [10] [11]

On the first day of the campaign there was a parade of party vehicles in Central Jakarta. The Golkar float was attacked and damaged [12] The traffic circle in front of Hotel Indonesia was a popular spot for rallies. [13] [14] [15] Meanwhile, there was an increase of people heading for Singapore to escape possible violence as polling day neared, with one newspaper reporting that more than 78,000 people had left. [16]

As well as rallies, the major parties took out full-colour advertisements in newspapers. Each party was also given air time TV for statements by lone spokespeople. There were also ads in the newspapers urging people to use their vote. [17] [18]

In the final week, the main parties held huge rallies in the capital: the PKB on 1 June, the National Mandate Party (PAN) on 2 June, the PDI-P on 3 June and Golkar on 4 June, at which its supporters were attacked. [18] [19] [20] [21]

At one minute past midnight on 5 June, all party flags, banners and posters began to be removed as the campaign officially ended. International observers continued to arrive to oversee the election, among them former US president Jimmy Carter. [11] [21]

Polling day

In the last few days before the vote on 7 June, newspapers carried advertisements sponsored by the Indonesian Election Committee (PPI) explaining how to vote and urging people to do so. [22]

On the day itself, polls opened at 8 am. People cast their vote by piercing the party symbol on the ballot paper and then dipped a finger in indelible ink to prevent repeat voting. When the votes were counted, each ballot paper was held up for onlookers to see. [23] [24]

There was independent monitoring down to the level of polling stations by Indonesians as well as by 100 observers and support staff from 23 counties led by Jimmy Carter. [23] On polling day, Carter said that it would have been extremely difficult to manipulate the election data because of the well-prepared information network and because the information was easy to access. [25] One way the public could access the latest results was by sending a short message service text to a specific number. The sender then received information about provincial or party results. [26]

On 9 June, Carter's team reported that although there had been "shortcomings" and allegations of financial abuses, they did not appear to have had a significant impact on the polling day activities. [27]

Results

The count was slow, with votes taking several weeks to count. Before he left Indonesia, Carter expressed his concern about this. [28] At a meeting at the General Election Commission building on 26 June, only 22 of the 53 members of the commission were prepared to accept the result. These comprised the representatives of 17 of the parties (with 93% of the vote between them) and the five government representatives. Eventually, later that same day President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie in a live TV broadcast declared the results were valid. The PDI-P, led by Megawati Sukarnoputri, had won the largest share of the vote with Golkar in second place.

The process of allocating seats in the People's Representative Council took several months with the PPI announcing the results on 1 September. A total of 21 parties had won seats, with the PDI-P winning 153 and Golkar 120. There were ten parties with only one seat each. [29]

Indonesia DPR-RI 1999.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle 35,689,07333.74153New
Golkar 23,741,74922.44120−205
National Awakening Party 13,336,98212.6151New
United Development Party 11,329,90510.7158−31
National Mandate Party 7,528,9567.1234New
Crescent Star Party  2,049,7081.9413New
Justice Party 1,436,5651.367New
Indonesian Justice and Unity Party 1,065,6861.014New
Nahdlatul Ummat Party 679,1790.645New
Indonesian Democratic Party 655,0520.622–9
United Party  [ id ]551,0280.521New
Love the Nation Democratic Party  [ id ]550,8460.525New
Indonesian Masyumi Islamic Political Party 456,7180.431New
People's Sovereignty Party 427,8540.401New
Indonesian National Party – Supeni377,1370.360New
Indonesian Islamic Union Party 375,9200.361New
Indonesian National Christian Party 369,7190.350New
Indonesian National Party – Marhaenist Front 365,1760.351New
Indonesian Unity in Diversity Party  [ id ]364,2910.341New
Indonesian National Party – Marhaen Masses 345,7200.331New
League of Supporters of Indonesian Independence 328,5640.311New
Community Awakening Party  [ id ]300,0640.281New
Indonesian Muslim Awakening Party  [ id ]289,4890.270New
Islamic Community Party  [ id ]269,3090.250New
Catholic Democratic Party 216,6750.201New
Aceh Orphans' Foundation Party  [ id ]213,9790.200New
Republican Party 208,1570.200New
Familial Consultative Party of Mutual Assistance  [ id ]204,2040.190New
New Indonesia Party  [ id ]192,7120.180New
Indonesian National Solidarity Party  [ id ]180,1670.170New
Love and Peace Party  [ id ]168,0870.160New
Indonesian Islamic Union Party – 1905  [ id ]152,8200.140New
New Masyumi Party  [ id ]152,5890.140New
National Party of the Indonesian Nation  [ id ]149,1360.140New
Indonesian Democratic Union Party 140,9800.130New
National Labor Party 111,6290.110New
National Freedom Party  [ id ]104,3850.100New
Democratic National Party  [ id ]96,9840.090New
Indonesian Democratic Alliance Party  [ id ]85,8380.080New
People's Democratic Party 78,7300.070New
Indonesian Workers' Party  [ id ]63,9340.060New
Democratic Islamic Party  [ id ]62,9010.060New
Great People's Consultative Party 62,0060.060New
All-Indonesia Workers' Solidarity Party  [ id ]61,1050.060New
Indonesian People's Party  [ id ]54,7900.050New
Indonesian Muslim Community  [ id ]49,8390.050New
Workers' Solidarity Party  [ id ]49,8070.050New
People's Choice Party  [ id ]40,5170.040New
Total105,786,661100.00462+37
Source: Ministry of Information, [30] KPU

Results by province

ProvinceTotal
seats
Seats won
PDI–PGolkarPPPPKBPANPBBPKPDKBPNUPKPPDIPDRPKDPKUPSIIMasyumiPNIFMIPKIPNIMMPBIPP
Aceh 12224021001000000000000
North Sumatra 241053121010100000000000
West Sumatra 14243031100000000000000
Riau 9331110000000000000000
Jambi 6221010000000000000000
South Sumatra 15642111000000000000000
Bengkulu 4111010000000000000000
Lampung 15631210101000000000000
Jakarta 18723131100000000000000
West Java 82272013663201100001100001
Central Java 6026871041100100000010100
Yogyakarta 6211110000000000000000
East Java 6823942431101100010000000
Bali 9710100000000000000000
West Nusa Tenggara 9141011000001000000000
East Nusa Tenggara 13561000010000000000000
East Timor 4220000000000000000000
West Kalimantan 9231000010010000000010
Central Kalimantan 6221100000000000000000
South Kalimantan 11232111001000000000000
East Kalimantan 7321010000000000000000
North Sulawesi 7241000000000000000000
Central Sulawesi 5131000000000000000000
South Sulawesi 252163111000000000001000
Southeast Sulawesi 5131000000000000000000
Maluku 6221000010000000000000
Irian Jaya 13450010010010100000000
Total46215312058513413755421111111111
Sources: Psephos, Pemilu.asia

Presidential election

On 20 and 21 October 1999, about four months after the legislative elections, the People's Consultative Assembly elected the president and vice president of Indonesia for the 1999–2004 term. Abdurrahman Wahid was elected president and Megawati Sukarnoputri as vice president.

References

Footnotes

  1. Liddle (1978) p40
  2. Evans (2003) pp. 21-21
  3. Evans (2003) p28
  4. Friend (2003) p406
  5. Salomo et al.(2004) p.xxxv
  6. Kompas 27 July 1999
  7. Evans (2003) pp. 126-127
  8. Kompas 29 April 1999 p40
  9. Kompas 2 May 1999
  10. Sinar Indonesia Baru 12 May 1999
  11. 1 2 Kompas 6 June 1999
  12. Kompas 20 May 1999
  13. Kompas 24 May 1999
  14. Kompas 1 June 1999
  15. Friend (2003) p412
  16. Sinar Indonesia Baru 30 May 1999
  17. Friend (2003) p408
  18. 1 2 Kompas 3 June 1999
  19. Kompas 2 June 1999
  20. Kompas 4 June 1999
  21. 1 2 Kompas 5 June 1999
  22. Kompas 3, 5 & 5 June 1999
  23. 1 2 Friend (2003) p415
  24. Evans (2003) p203
  25. Media Indonesia 8 June 1999
  26. Kompas 7 June 1999
  27. Friend (2003) p417
  28. Friend (2003) pp. 417, 424
  29. Kompas 2 September 1999
  30. Pidato pertanggungjawaban Presiden/Mandataris Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, Departemen Penerangan, 1999

Bibliography