On Wednesday morning, 19-year-old Jinggan Ananda’s phone buzzed with snaps from her friends and family. Everyone was sharing the same pictures, of their fingers dipped in purple ink. After months of relentless campaigning in Indonesia, election day had arrived.
Voting in Indonesia is unlike anywhere else; this is the biggest single-day election in the world, with more than 20,000 seats up for grabs, and voting taking place in three time zones across the archipelago of 17,000 islands. Ballot papers are transported by planes, helicopters, speedboats and even ox-drawn carts to ensure the more than 200 million voters get a chance to make their voices heard. Polling stations open between 7am and 1pm in each timezone, with the process starting first in the east of the country.
Jinggan, a first-time voter, took a six-hour train journey from Semarang in Central Java, where she is studying, so that she could vote in her home town, Jakarta. “I feel proud to have voted, but also nervous about my choice – was it really a good choice?” she said. The election has been preceded by a torrent of information online on social media.
The election isn’t just epic in scale: it is also a national holiday and, in many areas, a local reunion. At a polling station in Bulungan, South Jakarta, 71-year-old Emdang Roesdi waved at neighbours as they streamed through the entrance of the local school where voting was taking place. “A lot of people in Indonesia have a really great enthusiasm for elections,” said Emdang. “This is the time to decide our nation’s future.”
Emdang added that she was happy with the current president, Joko Widodo (known as Jokowi), and wanted continuity. Things weren’t perfect, she said, but they were getting better.
Turnout is generally high in Indonesia, where election day is known as Pesta Demokrasi, or Democracy Party. Social media is a stream of purple-stained fingers. Local businesses offer discounts to people who can show they have voted; in Jakarta, there are pizza shops offering free garlic bread, cafes handing out free coffees, and restaurants offering free takoyaki and extra fries.
This year’s election had been tense, Emdang said. “It’s quite fun looking on social media and the news. There’s so many sources about the news, about the candidates.”
Everyone was curious to see the result, she added.
The defence minister, Prabowo Subianto, a controversial former general with a history of human rights allegations, is projected to come first, according to pre-election surveys, but it’s unclear if he will win more than 50% of the vote, which is required to win in a single round. He has gained in popularity after efforts to shed his past persona of fierce general and instead present himself as a friendly grandfather figure. His online campaigning has won over young voters, who do not remember his role under the dictator Soeharto, who led Indonesia from 1968 to 1998.
Prabowo’s supporters perceive him as a strong leader who will offer stability. Human rights activists, however, are horrified by the prospect of him winning.
He was accused of involvement in the enforced disappearance of pro-democracy activists in 1997 and 1998, and of rights abuses in Papua and East Timor. He was never criminally prosecuted and denies wrongdoing, but was discharged from the military and banned from travelling to the US.
Prabowo is running alongside the eldest son of President Joko Widodo, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, after a controversial court ruling that changed the candidate eligibility criteria, and has capitalised on the popularity of the outgoing leader, whose promises he has pledged to continue.
Jokowi maintains high approval ratings, thanks to his economic and development policies. But some feel betrayed by the leader, who has reached the end of his term limit after a decade in power, and accuse him of using his clout as president to boost Prabowo’s campaign as part of efforts to protect his own legacy and build a dynasty – undermining the country’s democracy in the process.
“Especially as someone who used to support and vote for him, it’s really disappointing,” said Annisa Meutia, 35. She was among those who turned out at Bulungan to vote. “What Jokowi did is so obvious,” she added. “He underestimated us. Hello, we know and understand about politics!”
Does she feel democracy is still strong in Indonesia? “I don’t know. But I hope many people like me who, until last night, were still confused about what to do, try to embrace [their power] and be more controlling of whoever runs the government,” she said.
Annisa said there was no candidate who had inspired her in this election. “But I have to vote,” she added. “It’s our duty,” added her brother.
While rain had caused logistical problems in Jakarta, flooding 70 polling stations, voting closed without any major problems. At Bulungan polling station, voters crowded inside even as the rain persisted.
Jinggan said she wanted a leader who “can give equality to everyone and can do what they said, not only talk”. In the run-up to the election, she read candidates’ manifestos, watched election debates and followed the torrent of campaigning and comments on social media. Her friends, too, had tense debates about how to vote.
She wanted a future president who would modernise the education system, she said, and improve conditions for teachers.
In the evening, she planned to watch the results as they emerged on social media. But first, Jinggan and her friend, like many others, would make the most of election day offers; they were off to search for a ramen shop offering discounts.
