How Indonesia's female candidates have used social media to boost Islamic image and win elections

A muslim woman works on her laptop. Freepik, CC BY

In recent years, voters in the world’s third-largest democracy, Indonesia, have preferred to support candidates with solid religious personas and a lifestyle and appearances adhering to Islamic values. This preference is in line with the increasing trend towards Islamic piety in the Muslim majority country.

Many political candidates in Indonesia have been taking advantage of social media to design campaigns that promote piety. Female political candidates in particular have started to utilise social media to bring about social change and encourage women to become politicaly engaged.