Indonesia's election system, only one of its kind
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