Indonesia's election system, only one of its kind
JAKARTA (JP): When Indonesians go to the polls Monday, they will be abiding by an electoral system that is apparently without exact precedent or parallel anywhere else in the world. It is a unique combination of proportional representation by province with some elements of a district system.
Experts have admitted the system was confusing, and open to interpretations from parties involved. Among the best guide on how the system will work has been given by the National Democratic Institute (NDI), which is as follows:
The voters will choose representatives at three levels: the national legislature (House of Representatives or DPR), the provincial assemblies (DPRD I) and the regency assemblies (DPRD II).
I. Pre-election procedures
A. Candidate Lists
Parties are allowed to nominate up to twice as many candidates as there are seats apportioned to a province. The candidates on a provincial list must be ranked in order, and except in Jakarta and East Timor, must also be attached to a particular regency within the province.
B. Definition of "Largest Vote"
Candidates are assigned to seats in reference to the "largest votes" obtained by their party at the regency level. "Largest vote" can be measured in one of two ways: largest percentage vote or largest total vote.
C. Stembus akoord
Two or more parties may reach agreements (called stembus akoord) in which they combine their vote remainders. The combined remainder is treated as a single remainder during the "largest remainder" phase of the seat allocation process, thereby giving parties a better chance of obtaining an extra seat between them.
II. Post-election procedures
1. DPR members are elected on a proportional basis in separate elections in each of Indonesia's 27 provinces.
2. After ballot counting and tabulation is complete, the General Election Commission (KPU) signs off on the results from the province and determines the total number of valid votes cast in the province.
3. The quota for obtaining a full seat is calculated for that province by dividing the total number of valid votes by the number of seats apportioned to that province.
*Step A1. Allocating seats to parties: Full quotas All provinces.
One seat is allocated to each party for each full quota it has obtained in the province, except where a party has no candidates. These full quotas are subtracted from each party's total vote in the province.
*Step A2. Assigning candidates to full quota seats (All provinces except Jakarta and East Timor)
Assignment of candidates is considered for each party in turn.
1. If the party has won one or more full quotas in any individual regency, then the party fills those seats with the top candidate or candidates attached to that regency.
2. If any unfilled seats won with full quota under Step A1 remain, the plurality ("first-past-the-post") victories of the party in single-member regencies are placed in "largest vote" order. The first candidate of the party attached to each regency is assigned to fill these seats, until they are filled.
3. If the party still has unfilled full quota seats remaining, they will be filled by candidates attached to the next best performances of the party.
*Step B1. Allocating seats to parties: Largest remainders All provinces
1. The vote remainders of parties that previously made stembus akoord are combined. The vote remainders of parties that neither nominated candidates nor made stembus akoord are annulled.
2. Seats in the province not yet allocated in step A1 are now allocated to parties or combinations thereof, based on the "largest remainders", until all seats have been allocated.
3. These additional seats are added to the seats allocated in Step A1 to produce the total number of seats won by each party in that province.
*Step B2. Assigning candidates to largest remainder seats All provinces except Jakarta and East Timor
Each party fills its largest remainder seats won in Step B1 with any candidates on its provincial list, at the party discretion.
*Step C. Assigning candidates to all seats. Jakarta and East Timor
The electoral system in Jakarta and East Timor is purely proportional with a closed list. All seats worn by a party are filled by the candidates on the list of nominations submitted under section I A. above, in the order in which they appear on that list.
Table of House seats alloted for each province:
1. Aceh 12
2. North Sumatra 24
3. West Sumatra 14
4. Riau 10
5. Jambi 6
6. South Sumatra 15
7. Bengkulu 4
8. Lampung 15
9. Jakarta 18
10. West Java 82
11. Central Java 59
12. Yogyakarta 6
13. East Java 67
14. West Kalimantan 9
15. Central Kalimantan 6
16. East Kalimantan 7
17. South Kalimantan 11
18. Bali 9
19. West Nusa Tenggara 9
20. East Nusa Tenggara 13
21. East Timor 6
22. South Sulawesi 24
23. Central Sulawesi 5
24. North Sulawesi 7
25. Southeast Sulawesi 5
26. Maluku 6
27. Irian Jaya 13
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Total seats 462
Armed Forces seats 38
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Total DPR seats 500