2014 Indonesian presidential election
The presidential election was held in Indonesia on 9 July 2014, with former general Prabowo Subianto contesting the elections against the governor of Jakarta, Joko Widodo; incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in office. On 22 July the General Elections Commission announced Joko Widodo's victory. He and his vice president, Jusuf Kalla, were sworn-in on 20 October 2014, for a 5-year term.
According to the 2008 election law, only parties or coalitions controlling 20% of DPR seats or winning 25% of the popular votes in the 2014 parliamentary elections are eligible to nominate a candidate. This law was challenged in the Constitutional Court, but in late January 2014, the court ruled that the requirement would stand for this election. No party exceeded the threshold in the 2014 legislative elections; therefore, two coalitions were formed.
Arrangement for the election
Arrangements for the conduct of elections in Indonesia are carried out under the supervision of the KPU. The presidential elections in 2014 were carried out under the 2008 election law No. 42 on the election of a president and vice president.Arrangements for nominations
An important requirement, set out in Law No. 42 of 2008, is that nominations of candidates for the presidential election may only be made by a party which has at least 20% of the seats in the national parliament or which received 25% of national votes in the previous national legislative election for the DPR. In practice, these conditions set a rather high bar for nomination. The likelihood is that only candidates supported by one of the major parties, perhaps with some support from several of the minor parties, will be able to meet the conditions for nomination. Among other things, the effect of this requirement is likely to be a strict limit on the number of candidates who will be able to stand for the presidency.
Voting system
Indonesia worked towards implementing e-voting the 2014 general elections using electronic identity cards, which had been tested in six districts/cities, namely Padang, West Sumatra; Denpasar, Bali; Jembrana, Bali; Yogyakarta, Java; Cilegon, West Java; and Makassar,.However, the system was not ready for the election. Therefore, voters still voted on paper by punching a hole in one of the two candidates' photograph, number, or name. The ballots were then collected and counted at the village level, then city/regency level, province level, and finally the national level.
Political parties
Candidates for president are nominated as individuals ; however, support from the main political parties is likely to play a crucial role in influencing the result. Partly for this reason, the highly changeable map of political parties in Indonesia contributes to the uncertainty of political trends in the run-up to the presidential election. In recent years, the number of political parties contesting major elections has varied considerably.- In 2004, 24 parties contested the national elections and 16 secured enough seats to be represented in the national parliament.
- In 2009, 38 parties contested the national elections and nine secured enough seats to be represented in the national parliament.
- In 2014, 12 parties contested the national legislative elections on 9 April, and three more were authorised to run candidates in Aceh. It is expected that candidates for president who hope to mount an effective campaign will need to secure the support of at least one of the major parties as well as several other smaller parties. Details of the twelve main national parties who qualified to mount nationwide political campaigns are as follows:
Summary of registered parties support
| Known as | Party | English name | Supporting | DPR seats | DPR seats % | Legislative votes % | |
| Gerindra | Partai Gerakan Indonesia Raya | Great Indonesia Movement Party | Nominee: Prabowo Subianto Running mate: Hatta Rajasa | Majority coalition: Gerindra/Golkar/PPP/PKS/PAN/Demokrat | 63.04% | 59.12% | |
| Golkar | Partai Golongan Karya | Golkar | Nominee: Prabowo Subianto Running mate: Hatta Rajasa | Majority coalition: Gerindra/Golkar/PPP/PKS/PAN/Demokrat | 63.04% | 59.12% | |
| PPP | Partai Persatuan Pembangunan | United Development Party | Nominee: Prabowo Subianto Running mate: Hatta Rajasa | Majority coalition: Gerindra/Golkar/PPP/PKS/PAN/Demokrat | 63.04% | 59.12% | |
| PKS | Partai Keadilan Sejahtera | Prosperous Justice Party | Nominee: Prabowo Subianto Running mate: Hatta Rajasa | Majority coalition: Gerindra/Golkar/PPP/PKS/PAN/Demokrat | 63.04% | 59.12% | |
| PAN | Partai Amanat Nasional | National Mandate Party | Nominee: Prabowo Subianto Running mate: Hatta Rajasa | Majority coalition: Gerindra/Golkar/PPP/PKS/PAN/Demokrat | 63.04% | 59.12% | |
| PBB | Partai Bulan Bintang | Crescent Star Party | Nominee: Prabowo Subianto Running mate: Hatta Rajasa | Majority coalition: Gerindra/Golkar/PPP/PKS/PAN/Demokrat | 63.04% | 59.12% | |
| PD | Partai Demokrat | Democratic Party* | Nominee: Prabowo Subianto Running mate: Hatta Rajasa | Majority coalition: Gerindra/Golkar/PPP/PKS/PAN/Demokrat | 63.04% | 59.12% | |
| PDI–P | Partai Demokrasi Indonesia – Perjuangan | Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle | Nominee: Joko Widodo Running mate: Jusuf Kalla | Minority coalition: PDI–P/Hanura/NasDem/PKB | 36.96% | 40.88% | |
| Hanura | Partai Hati Nurani Rakyat | People's Conscience Party | Nominee: Joko Widodo Running mate: Jusuf Kalla | Minority coalition: PDI–P/Hanura/NasDem/PKB | 36.96% | 40.88% | |
| NasDem | Partai NasDem | Nasdem Party | Nominee: Joko Widodo Running mate: Jusuf Kalla | Minority coalition: PDI–P/Hanura/NasDem/PKB | 36.96% | 40.88% | |
| PKB | Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa | National Awakening Party | Nominee: Joko Widodo Running mate: Jusuf Kalla | Minority coalition: PDI–P/Hanura/NasDem/PKB | 36.96% | 40.88% | |
| PKPI | Partai Keadilan dan Persatuan Indonesia | Indonesian Justice and Unity Party | Nominee: Joko Widodo Running mate: Jusuf Kalla | Minority coalition: PDI–P/Hanura/NasDem/PKB | 36.96% | 40.88% |
- Parties that are in light grey shows that they do not pass the 2014 Parliamentary Threshold of 2.5% of the national legislative vote. They were also initially barred participation in the next election for the same reason.
- The leader of Democratic Party and sitting President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was officially neutral in the election.
Candidates
Nominated
Previously considered potential
Before the national legislative elections on 9 April 2014, the following candidates had declared their intention to run for president. Following the legislative elections, these candidates were unable to reach the threshold.| Party | Candidate | Details |
| Golkar | Aburizal Bakrie | Chairman of the Golkar party. Formerly, there had been discontent in some quarters within the party about Bakrie's candidature. There had been some talk of a possible move to reconsider the decision to nominate him. However, Golkar appears united behind him as the official candidate, although some members defect to support Jusuf Kalla |
| Hanura | Wiranto | Former Commander of the Indonesian Armed Forces, 2004 presidential nominee, and 2009 vice-presidential nominee |
| Crescent Star Party | Yusril Ihza Mahendra | Former chairman of the Crescent Star Party. A top lawyer and a specialist in government laws of Indonesia. |
| United Development Party | Suryadharma Ali | Chairman of the United Development Party. Recently been announced official suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission on the case of Umroh budget corruption. |
Polling
NOTE: The quality of polling in Indonesia varies considerably. Furthermore, some of the polling institutions provide little information about their polling methods. The data set out below should therefore be treated with care.| Pollster | Date | Highlights |
| 3–8 October 2011 | Prabowo Subianto 28%, Mahfud MD 10.6%, Sri Mulyani Indrawati 7.4%, Aburizal Bakrie 6.8%, Said Akil Siradj 6%, Muhammad Sirajuddin Syamsuddin 5.2%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 4.2%, Jusuf Kalla 4.0%, Djoko Suyanto 3.2%, Hatta Rajasa 2.8%, Surya Paloh 2.5%. | |
| 10–15 October 2011 | Megawati Soekarnoputri 19.6%, Prabowo Subianto 10.8%, Aburizal Bakrie 8.9%, Wiranto 7.3%, Hamengkubuwono X 6.5%, Hidayat Nur Wahid 3.8%, Surya Paloh 2.3%, Sri Mulyani Indrawati 2.0%, Kristiani Herawati 1.6%, Hatta Rajasa 1.6%, Anas Urbaningrum 1.5%, Sutanto 0.2%, Djoko Suyanto 0.2%. | |
| October 2011 | Aburizal Bakrie 13.58%, Prabowo Subianto 8.46%, Jusuf Kalla 7.06%, Hidayat Nur Wahid 5.17%, Kristiani Herawati 4.13%. | |
| 22 January – 2 February 2012 | Prabowo Subianto 16.4%, Hatta Rajasa 14.6%, Aburizal Bakrie 13.5%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 13%, Akbar Tandjung 12.7%. | |
| 1–12 February 2012 | Megawati Soekarnoputri 22.2%, Prabowo Subianto 16.8%, Aburizal Bakrie 10.9%, Wiranto 10.6%, Hatta Rajasa 5.4%, other names 10.3%, undecided voters 23.8%. | |
| March 2012 | Prabowo Subianto 20.0%, Aburizal Bakrie 18.0%, Hamengkubuwono X 11.0%, Hatta Rajasa 6%, Kristiani Herawati 6%, Surya Paloh 5%, Mahfud MD 3%, Dahlan Iskan 2% Djoko Suyanto 1%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 1%, undecided voters 23%. | |
| April 2012 | Aburizal Bakrie 22.0%, Prabowo Subianto 20.0%, Hamengkubuwono X11.0% Hatta Rajasa 6%, Dahlan Iskan 5%, Kristiani Herawati 4%, Surya Paloh 3%, Mahfud MD 3%, Djoko Suyanto 2%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 1%, undecided voters 20% | |
| May 2012 | Prabowo Subianto 20.0%, Aburizal Bakrie 18.0% Hamengkubuwono X 9.0%, Dahlan Iskan 8%, Hatta Rajasa 6% Kristiani Herawati 4%, Mahfud MD 3%, Surya Paloh 2% Djoko Suyanto 1%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 1%, undecided voters 23% | |
| 14–24 May 2012 | Prabowo Subianto 25.8%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 22.4%, Jusuf Kalla 14.9%, Aburizal Bakrie 10.6%, Surya Paloh 5.3%, Wiranto 4.6%, Hamengkubuwono X 3.7%, Sri Mulyani Indrawati 2.1%, Hidayat Nur Wahid 1.8%, Kristiani Herawati 1.8%, Akbar Tanjung 1.3%, Djoko Suyanto 1.0%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 0.9%. | |
| June 2012 | Prabowo Subianto 21.0%, Aburizal Bakrie 17.0%, Kristiani Herawati 10%, Hamengkubuwono X 9.0%, Dahlan Iskan 7%, Mahfud MD 5%, Hatta Rajasa 4%, Surya Paloh 3% Djoko Suyanto 1%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 1%, undecided voters 20% | |
| 2–11 June 2012 | Megawati Soekarnoputri 18.3%, Prabowo Subianto 18.0%, Aburizal Bakrie 17.5%, Hatta Rajasa 6.8%, Kristiani Herawati 6.5%. | |
| 10–20 June 2012 | Megawati Soekarnoputri 18.0%, Prabowo Subianto 17.4%, Aburizal Bakrie 17.1%, Wiranto 10.2%, Mahfud MD 7.3%. | |
| July 2012 | Prabowo Subianto 20.1%, Aburizal Bakrie 19.4%, Hamengkubuwono X 8.6%, Kristiani Herawati 6.8%, Hatta Rajasa 6.4%, Dahlan Iskan 5.6%, Mahfud MD 3.6%, Surya Paloh 3% Djoko Suyanto 1.5%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 0.9%, undecided voters 20.3% | |
| August 2012 | Prabowo Subianto 20.0%, Aburizal Bakrie 17.0%, Dahlan Iskan 9.0%, Hamengkubuwono X 9.0%, Kristiani Herawati 9.0%, | |
| 3–18 January 2013 | Joko Widodo 21.2%, Prabowo Subianto 17.1%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 11.5%, Rhoma Irama 10.4%, Aburizal Bakrie 9.4%, Jusuf Kalla 7.1% | |
| February 2013 | Prabowo Subianto 17.0%, Aburizal Bakrie 17.0%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 11.0%, Jusuf Kalla 9.0%, Dahlan Iskan 7.0% Hamengkubuwono X 5.0%, Kristiani Herawati 5.0%, Hatta Rajasa 5.0%, Mahfud MD 4.0%, Sri Mulyani Indrawati 2.0%, Djoko Suyanto 1.0%, Gita Wirjawan 1.0%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 1.0%, Surya Paloh 1.0% undecided voters 12.0% | |
| 9–15 February 2013 | Joko Widodo 18.1%, Prabowo Subianto 10.9%, Wiranto 9.8%, Jusuf Kalla 8.9%, Aburizal Bakrie 8.7%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 7.2%, Mahfud MD 5.4%, Dahlan Iskan 3.6%, Hatta Rajasa 2.9%, Surya Paloh 2.5%, Rhoma Irama 1.7%, Muhaimin Iskandar 1.1% other names 0.8% | |
| 1–8 March 2013 | Megawati Soekarnoputri 20.7%, Aburizal Bakrie 20.3% Prabowo Subianto 19.2%, Wiranto 8.2%, Hatta Rajasa 6.4%, Kristiani Herawati 2.4%, Surya Paloh 2.1% Suryadharma Ali 1.9%, Anis Matta 1.1%, Muhaimin Iskandar 1.6%, | |
| 18–30 March 2013 | Prabowo Subianto 39.8%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 17.2%, Hatta Rajasa 14.4%, Aburizal Bakrie 10.3%, Kristiani Herawati 5.1%, Jusuf Kalla 4.2%, Wiranto 3.3%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 3.3%, Djoko Suyanto 1%, Surya Paloh 0.7%, Sutiyoso 0.7% | |
| 20–30 March 2013 | Prabowo Subianto 19.8%, Wiranto 15.4%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 13.3%, Kristiani Herawati 4.8%, Hatta Rajasa 3.9%, Surya Paloh 3.8%, Sutiyoso 2.7%, Yusril Ihza Mahendra 2.5%, Muhaimin Iskandar 1.8%, Anis Matta 1.3%, Suryadaharma Ali 1.1%, undecided voters 11.4% | |
| 9–16 April 2013 | Joko Widodo 28.6%, Prabowo Subianto 15.6%, Aburizal Bakrie 7%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 5.4%, Jusuf Kalla 3.7%, Mahfud MD 2.4%, Hatta Rajasa 2.2% undecided voters 28.0% | |
| 10–31 May 2013 | Joko Widodo 22.6%, Prabowo Subianto 14.2%, Aburizal Bakrie 9.4%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 9.3%, Jusuf Kalla 4.2%, Rhoma Irama 3.5%, Wiranto 3.4%, Mahfud MD 1.9%, Hatta Rajasa 1.2%, Hamengkubuwono X 1.2%, Surya Paloh 1.2% | |
| May 2013 | Joko Widodo 24.8%, Prabowo Subianto 14.8%, Aburizal Bakrie 7.9%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 5.5%, Wiranto 3.9%, Mahfud MD 3.7%, Dahlan Iskan 3.5%, Rhoma Irama 2.7%, Hary Tanoesodibjo 2.3%, Kristiani Herawati 2% | |
| 8–11 June 2013 | Joko Widodo 29.57%, Prabowo Subianto 19.83%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 13.08%, Aburizal Bakrie 11.62% Jusuf Kalla 5.47%, Wiranto 3.59%, Mahfud MD 1.2%, Hatta Rajasa 1.2%, Dahlan Iskan 1.11%, Chairul Tanjung 0.43%, Marzuki Alie 0.26%, Djoko Suyanto 0.09%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 0.09% | |
| 3–22 July 2013 | Joko Widodo 25.48%, Prabowo Subianto 10.52%, Jusuf Kalla 5.69%, Aburizal Bakrie 4.23%, Dahlan Iskan 4.18%, Mahfud MD 2.72, Megawati Soekarnoputri 2.68%. Wiranto 1.18%, Hidayat Nur Wahid 1.02%, Hatta Rajasa 0.81%, Chairul Tanjung 0.53%, Surya Paloh 0.33%, Hamengkubuwono X 0.33%, Sri Mulyani Indrawati 0.2%, Kristiani Herawati 0.2%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 0.12% | |
| 8–11 July 2013 | Joko Widodo 32.0%, Prabowo Subianto 8.2%, Wiranto 6.7%, Dahlan Iskan 6.3%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 6.1%, Jusuf Kalla 3.7%, Aburizal Bakrie 3.3%, Mahfud MD 2.8%, | |
| July 2013 | Joko Widodo 32.5%, Prabowo Subianto 15.1%, Aburizal Bakrie 8.8%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 8.0%, Jusuf Kalla 4.5%, other names 18.2%, undecided 12.9% | |
| 12–18 August 2013 | Joko Widodo 19.6%, Wiranto 18.5%, Prabowo Subianto 15.4%, Jusuf Kalla 7.6%, Aburizal Bakrie 7.3%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 6.1%, Dahlan Iskan 3.4%, Rhoma Irama 3.4%, Mahfud MD 3.3%, Hatta Rajasa 2.5%, Surya Paloh 2.4%, other names 1.3%, undecided 9.1% | |
| 15–23 August 2013 | Joko Widodo 22.1%,Prabowo Subianto 17.0%, Jusuf Kalla 7.4%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 7.0%, Dahlan Iskan 6.9%, Aburizal Bakrie 6.2%, Wiranto 4.6%, Mahfud MD 4.0%, Surya Paloh 2.0%, Hatta Rajasa 1.0%, Hamengkubuwono X 0.9%, other names 1.0%, undecided 19.0% | |
| 23 – 28 August 2013 | Joko Widodo 27.1%, Prabowo Subianto 14.4%, Aburizal Bakrie 12.0%, Wiranto 7.5%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 4.9%, Jusuf Kalla 3.2% | |
| 25 August – 9 September 2013 | Joko Widodo 45.8%, Jusuf Kalla 9.0%, Dahlan Iskan 7.5%, Prabowo Subianto 6.8%, Mahfud MD 5.8%, Wiranto 3.6%, Aburizal Bakrie 2.4%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 1.8%, Chairul Tanjung 1.6%, Hatta Rajasa 1.0%, Hidayat Nur Wahid 0.7%, Surya Paloh 0.5%, Hamengkubuwono X 0.5%, Sri Mulyani Indrawati 0.4%, Kristiani Herawati 0.4%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 0.4%, other names 1.0%, undecided 10.8% | |
| 12 – 14 September 2013 | Joko Widodo 43.7%, Prabowo Subianto 14.0%, Aburizal Bakrie 12.5%, Wiranto 7.3%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 4.9%, Jusuf Kalla 4.6% | |
| 21–24 September 2013 | Joko Widodo 36.0%, Prabowo Subianto 6.6%, Dahlan Iskan 5.5%, Wiranto 4.6%, Jusuf Kalla 4.0% | |
| 25 September 2013 | Joko Widodo 34.5%, Wiranto 10.6%, Aburizal Bakrie 8.1%, Jusuf Kalla 6.2%. Megawati Soekarnoputri 6%, Surya Paloh 3.3%, Rhoma Irama 3.2%, Dahlan Iskan 2.8%, Mahfud MD 2%, Hidayat Nur Wahid 1.5%, Hatta Rajasa 1.3%, Suryadharma Ali 1.2%, Yusril Ihza Mahendra 0.9%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 0.9%, Gita Wirjawan 0.4%, Irman Gusman 0.2%, Other Names 0.4%, undecided 6.9%, secret answer 1% | |
| 13 September – 11 October 2013 | Joko Widodo 37.6%, Prabowo Subianto 11.73%,Aburizal Bakrie 11.67%%, Jusuf Kalla 6.12%. Wiranto 5.78%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 3.31%, Mahfud MD2.17%, Hidayat Nur Wahid 1.5%, Hatta Rajasa 1.33%, Surya Paloh 1.17%, Dahlan Iskan 1.09%, undecided 14.52% | |
| October 2013 | Joko Widodo 24.5%, Prabowo Subianto 9.1%, Aburizal Bakrie 7.4%, Wiranto 6.8%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 6.7%,Jusuf Kalla 4.2%, Dahlan Iskan 2.7%, Rhoma Irama 1.9%, Mahfud MD 1.2%, Surya Paloh 2.0%, Hatta Rajasa 1.1%, other names 3.8%, undecided 30.6% | |
| October 2013 | Joko Widodo 37%,Prabowo Subianto 15%, Aburizal Bakrie 14%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 6%, Dahlan Iskan 6%, Jusuf Kalla 5%, Mahfud MD 3%, Hatta Rajasa 2%, other names 12% | |
| 10 – 20 October 2013 | Joko Widodo 35.9%, Prabowo Subianto 11.4%, Aburizal Bakrie 11.4%, Wiranto 7.8%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 5.9%, Jusuf Kalla 3.9%, Mahfud MD 1.2%, Dahlan Iskan 1.0% | |
| 10 – 20 October 2013 | Joko Widodo 47.4%, Prabowo Subianto 15.8%, Aburizal Bakrie 12.6%, Dahlan Iskan 3.7% | |
| 28 November – 6 December 2013 | Joko Widodo 34.8%, Prabowo Subianto 11.2%, Aburizal Bakrie 8.3%, Jusuf Kalla 5.4%, Wiranto 5.2%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 2.8%, | |
| 27 November – 11 December 2013 | Joko Widodo 43.5%, Prabowo Subianto 11.1%, Aburizal Bakrie 9.2%, Wiranto 6.3%,Megawati Soekarnoputri 6.1%,Jusuf Kalla 3.1%,other names 9.8%, undecided 10.9% | |
| 4–15 December 2013 | Joko Widodo 25.2%, Aburizal Bakrie 10.5%, Prabowo Subianto 9.7%, Wiranto 6.1%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 6%, | |
| 15 December 2013 – 10 January 2014 | Prabowo Subianto 26.5%, Aburizal Bakrie 17.7%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 14.6%, Wiranto 11.8% | |
| 1–14 February 2014 | Prabowo Subianto 40.8%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 19.5%, Aburizal Bakrie 11.3%, Dahlan Iskan 6.9%, Wiranto 6.3%, Joko Widodo 5.6%, Hatta Rajasa 2.4%, Jusuf Kalla 2.2%, Surya Paloh 1.7%, Pramono Edhie Wibowo 1.3%, Ani Yudhoyono 1.1%, Sutiyoso 0.9% | |
| February 2014 | Joko Widodo 40%, Prabowo Subianto 17%, Aburizal Bakrie 11%, Wiranto 7%, Jusuf Kalla 5%, Megawati Soekarnoputri 4%, Dahlan Iskan 4%, Mahfud MD 3%, Hatta Rajasa 2%, other names 7% |
NOTE: See cautionary note at the top of this table.
Timeline
NOTE: The following timeline refers to some dates which refer to the national parliamentary elections due in mid-2014 as well as other events in addition to the presidential election. These dates are noted because events leading up to the national parliamentary elections will, in the minds of voters and party organisers, be closely linked to the presidential election.| Date | Event | Remarks |
| Jan 2014 | Preparations | During January and February the Democrat Party held public meetings in main towns in Indonesia to allow the main candidates for the Democrat Party nomination to test their support. |
| March | Campaigning | Nationwide campaigning for the national legislative elections |
| 6–8 April | Cooling-off period | |
| 9 April | Legislative elections | Simultaneous national elections for the national parliament, 33 provincial assemblies and 497 district assemblies See also: 2014 Indonesian legislative election |
| 9 May | Results | Results of the legislative elections are required to be announced within 30 days of the polling day. |
| Early May | Nomination | The names of all candidates running for the positions of president and vice president must be formally logged at the Indonesian Electoral Commission within seven days after the results of the legislative elections are announced. |
| 31 May | Announcement | The KPU announce the names of the presidential candidates |
| Campaigning | Nationwide campaign by presidential candidates | |
| 6–8 July | Cooling-off period | No campaign of any form is allowed |
| 9 July | Election | Presidential election |
| 10–12 July | Recapitulation | At the sub-district level |
| 10–14 July | Recapitulation | For ballots from abroad |
| 13–15 July | Recapitulation | At the district level |
| 16–17 July | Recapitulation | At the municipality/regency level |
| 18–19 July | Recapitulation | At the province level |
| 20–22 July | Recapitulation | At the national level |
| 22–23 July | Results | Results of the presidential election are required to be announced within 14 days of the polling day. |
| 20 October | Inauguration | Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono completes his term and the seventh president is sworn in |
Counting and results
Following the election on 9 July 2014, Joko Widodo announced his victory based on quick counts of votes from several zones; most of these independent pollsters indicated a Joko Widodo victory. Prabowo also claimed victory, citing other polls. As the official count continued, the KPU released scans of the tally forms from each polling station on its official website, allowing downloads of the official data.In the lead up to the official announcement of the official results by the KPU, Prabowo pushed for the Commission to delay the announcement by two weeks, allowing his party to investigate claimed manipulations of the voting process. This request was denied. The Prabowo camp also called for a new vote in some zones. However, several Prabowo supporters congratulated Joko Widodo on his election or conceded the election. PAN politician Hanafi Rais, writing three days before the results were announced, sent a press release which stated: "We congratulate Bapak Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla — who will helm the national leadership for the next five years". The same day, Prabowo's campaign manager Mahfud M.D. returned his mandate to Prabowo, stating that the election was over; he was replaced by Lt. Gen. Yunus Yosfiah on 22 July 2014.
Out of fear that inter-party tension could lead to riots such as those which led to the downfall of former president Suharto, the Indonesian government deployed over 250,000 police officers throughout the country. In central Jakarta, hundreds of police were stationed – particularly around the KPU's offices. Following bomb threats against Jakarta City Hall, after the KPU's announcement military officials tightened security around it Commission's headquarters. A group of Prabowo supporters staged a non-violent protest near the offices.
Prabowo's withdrawal
On 22 July 2014, the day that the KPU was due to announce its official tally, Prabowo withdrew from the recapitulation process after having insisted on his victory since the initial quick counts were released. He attributed this withdrawal to Indonesia "failing in its duty to democracy" because of "massive cheating that is structured and systematic", and stated that he and Hatta "exercise our constitutional right to reject the presidential election and declare it unconstitutional". His speech, aired live, implied that he would challenge the results in the Constitutional Court. Later reports indicated confusion over whether Prabowo had resigned from the election or simply rejected the count.According to Douglas Ramage, Managing Director for Indonesia at BowerGroupAsia, this was the first time since reformasi began in 1998 that the legitimacy of the election process has been questioned; he declared that the country was entering "uncharted territory". The legality of a Prabowo challenge is questionable, as – if he withdrew – he is no longer considered a presidential candidate. If he can make the challenge, according to The Jakarta Post, the gap between the two candidates is sufficient to make such a challenge difficult. Under the presidential election law, Prabowo could face up to six years in prison and a 100 billion rupiah fine for withdrawing.
Following the announcement, the value of the Indonesian rupiah dropped by 0.3%, and the JSX Composite fell by 0.9%. Observers denied Prabowo's allegations of cheating, finding that the elections were "generally fair and free"; Maswadi Rauf of the University of Indonesia stated that there was "no sign of significant fraud", and that Prabowo's withdrawal simply reflected "the real attitudes of the elite, who are not yet ready to accept losing". In a survey, 90% of the Indonesian populace were satisfied with the KPU's handling of the election.
Announcement and reaction
After Prabowo's withdrawal, his witnesses also left the announcement ceremony. However, the official tally continued; the Commission chief, Husni Kamil Manik, said that they had already fulfilled their obligations by inviting the witnesses. A victory for Joko Widodo was expected, and realised hours later, although the initially planned 4:00 p.m. announcement was delayed for four hours. The KPU gave Joko Widodo a victory of 53.15% of the vote, to Prabowo's 46.85%. This was the closest vote in the history of free elections in the country; the two previous elections, in 2004 and 2009, had been landslide victories for Yudhoyono.The Prabowo camp continued to reject the KPU's count, announcing that they trusted the count provided by the PKS, which gave a Prabowo victory, more than the Commission's. Prabowo's camp later stated that it intended to report the KPU to the police for continuing its recapitulation despite calls for a delay and questions of the vote's validity.
After the announcement, Joko Widodo stated that growing up under the authoritarian and corrupt New Order, he would have never expected someone with a lower-class background to become president. The New York Times reported him as saying, "now, it's quite similar to America, yes? There is the American dream, and here we have the Indonesian dream.". Joko Widodo was the first Indonesian president to not be from the military or the political elite, and the political commentator Salim Said gave the popular view of the politician "someone who is our neighbour, who decided to get into politics and run for president".
The Singaporean prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, posted his congratulations on Twitter minutes after the election, expressing hope that Joko Widodo would work towards improving relations between the two countries. Tony Abbott, Prime Minister of Australia, stated that Joko Widodo's election was a "milestone" for the development of democracy in Indonesia, and stated his hope that the two countries' relations could be reinforced following a decline caused by espionage scandals and human trafficking. US President Barack Obama also congratulated Jokowi and is also willing to improve relations between Indonesia and the US. However, Prabowo asked for world leaders to withhold congratulatory statements to Jokowi.
Appeal
A member of the Prabowo-Hatta campaign team outlined the eight final moves that Prabowo plans to take to overturn the election result. These are:- File a lawsuit over the election result with the Constitutional Court
- Report alleged ethical violations by the KPU to the Election Organisers Ethics Council.
- File a report with the Election Supervisory Committee.
- Report electoral violations to the police.
- Making a report to the Ombudsman.
- File a report with the State Administrative Court asking for the KPU on the election result to be annulled.
- Political manoeuvring within the People's Representative Council by establishing a Presidential Election Special Committee to evaluate the performance of the KPU. The manoeuvring was done by parties within Prabowo-Hatta's coalition.
- A class action.