JP\/1\/VOTE<\/p>\n
People no longer vote along party lines: Analysts
\nM. Taufiqurrahman
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Contrary to what happened in the April 5 legislative elections
\nwhen people voted according to their political party affinities,
\nthe public displayed greater maturity during the presidential
\nelection.<\/p>\n
This newfound political rationality has resulted in major
\ndifferences between the outcome of the legislative election and
\nthe provisional results of the presidential election, analysts
\nsaid on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Entjeng Sobirin Nadj of the Institute for Social and Economic
\nResearch and Education (LP3ES) said that in the presidential
\nelection the public had not voted along party lines, but rather
\nbased on the personality and the perceived abilities of the
\nrespective presidential candidates.<\/p>\n
People voted for Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono because they
\nbelieved that Susilo was the only candidate capable of solving
\nthe country's myriad problem.<\/p>\n
\"Voters made up their minds about who to vote for based on
\nwhat they believed about the candidates, and they ignored the
\nadvice provided by the political parties or the mass
\norganizations they subscribed to,\" he told The Jakarta Post in a
\ntelephone interview.<\/p>\n
Sobirin said that in the runoff, voters would likely be more
\nrational in their choice of candidates. \"The candidates competing
\nin the runoff must present workable programs instead of just
\nsimple charisma, because the public will have higher expectations
\nof the candidates in the runoff,\" said Sobirin.<\/p>\n
Separately, analyst Ikrar Nusa Bakti of the Indonesian
\nInstitute of Sciences (LIPI), said that in the presidential
\nelection it was local issues that mattered most in influencing
\npeople's choices of candidates.<\/p>\n
\"Although the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)
\nstumbled in the legislative elections, President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri still garnered a significant vote in North Sumatra,
\nas most of her previously alienated supporters voted for her once
\nmore after she built an alliance with a political party with
\nreligious affiliations popular among voters in that area,\" he
\ntold the Post, referring to the Christian-based Prosperous Peace
\nParty (PDS).<\/p>\n
The same pattern was repeated in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT),
\nwhere there are fears of an Islamic government should Susilo
\nBambang Yudhoyono be elected president, Ikrar said.<\/p>\n
Susilo is backed by the Muslim-oriented Crescent Star Party
\n(PBB) led by Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza
\nMahendra. \"Because the people of NTT feared imminent Islamic
\nrule, they turned to Megawati, whom they think of as a secular
\nfigure,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Faced with limited options, voters would likely turn to the
\ncandidates that would cause them the least possible harm, even if
\nthey refused to vote for their political vehicles in the
\nlegislative elections.<\/p>\n
The provisional tallies provide clear evidence of this.<\/p>\n
In East Java, the National Awakening Party (PKB) came in first
\nin the legislative election, garnering over 6 million votes.
\nHowever, in the presidential election most of the voters in the
\nprovince voted for Susilo instead of the presidential ticket
\nendorsed by the PKB, namely, the Wiranto-Salahudin Wahid ticket.<\/p>\n
In East Nusa Tenggara, the Golkar Party came first in the
\nlegislative elections by garnering over 750,000 votes, while the
\nPDI-P got over 380,000 votes. However, Megawati's vote in the
\npresidential election has provisionally increased to 756,289.
\nTrailing behind her is Susilo with 177,952 votes.<\/p>\n
In North Sumatra, the Golkar Party came first with over 1.1
\nmillion votes and the PDI-P came second with over 800,000 votes.
\nIn the presidential election tally, however, Megawati has surged
\nahead with 1.7 million votes, compared to 1.2 million votes for
\nSusilo.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp1vote-1447899208",
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