In just over two months, Indonesia will hold one of the biggest one-day elections anywhere on Earth. More than 200 million eligible voters will take part across Indonesia’s 6,000 inhabited islands – along with 1.75 million people in the diaspora – to elect a new president, vice president and members of the People’s Consultative Assembly at both the national and regional levels.
The Election Commission has announced three pairs of candidates for president and vice president who will contest the election on February 14. The campaign period kicks off Tuesday.
A number of political observers have said the presence of three presidential candidates, instead of the usual two, would be good for Indonesia’s political stability as it could prevent deepening polarisation among the main parties’ supporters.
