Saiful Mujani Calls for 2029 Election Boycott if Undemocratic

Founder of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), Saiful Mujani, has called on civil society to boycott the 2029 election if it shows undemocratic tendencies. The statement from the Professor of Political Science at Jakarta Islamic State University was made during a civil society consolidation press conference titled ‘Republic Conference: Strengthening Civil Society as a Republic Pillar’ at the University Club of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta on Saturday, 30 May 2026. Saiful was invited as a respondent to several speakers at the event. The forum gathered hundreds of academics, activists, civil society advocates, and community members for a day to respond to the decline in democracy under President Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s administration. Saiful stated that the quality of democracy has drastically declined since the Prabowo-Gibran administration. He explained that democratic quality is not merely assessed during elections but is a long-term process after the government is formed. He observed state apparatus mobilising masses for partisan political interests ahead of the 2029 election. State apparatus involvement, including police and military, has emerged in government programmes such as free nutritious meals projects, Red and White Village Cooperatives, and the proliferation of combat battalions and territorial development battalions. ‘Boycott the election if it is illegitimate. We want clean elections. The media and civil society must continue to monitor,’ Saiful said. He highlighted various irregularities in the 2024 election due to undemocratic mechanisms. For instance, a Constitutional Court ruling that altered the minimum age requirement for presidential and vice-presidential candidates, thereby allowing Gibran Rakabuming Raka to become vice-president. Saiful stated that a flawed election is not recognised or legitimate. Moreover, in Indonesia’s electoral history, dissenting opinions in election dispute rulings have never occurred. However, in the 2024 election, three Constitutional Court judges issued dissenting opinions in the decision to reject the Election Dispute Petition (PHPU). In the short term, as a moderate approach, civil society must prevent those attempting to hijack the 2029 election. He cited the people power movement that toppled dictator President Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines. ‘It was civil society, not the state, that brought down Marcos. The church movement led it,’ Saiful said. According to him, the civil society movement is not dead, as evidenced by the Republic Conference consolidation in Yogyakarta due to concerns over democratic regression. He suggested expanding and strengthening such consolidations in other cities by involving young people. Saiful stated that civil society cannot rely on religious institutions close to the Prabowo-Gibran regime. Therefore, a renewal of civil society movements through youth is necessary. Additionally, he advised civil society to take a greater role by preparing individuals with moral leadership, not driven by power or business interests.