Electoral Culture and Transformation of D emocratic Institutions in Indonesia in the Context of the 2024 General Elections
https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2025-16-4-114-128
Abstract
The 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections in Indonesia have demonstrated the unique features of democratic transition in the world’s largest archipelagic state. Prabowo Subianto’s victory with 58.59 % of votes in the first round was possible due to Indonesia’s specific electoral culture, which combines elements of traditional elite consensus (Ind. musyawarah-mufakat) and distinctive democratic institutions formed after the Reformasi period of 1998–2004. The conducted analysis reveals the paradox of Indonesia’s transition: despite the technically successful conduct of elections, the political system faced deepening of structural contradictions between the main centers of influence. The electoral process exposed a transformation in elite political culture toward pragmatic situational alliances, where ideological differences recede before conjunctural interests. The study reveals that the resilience of Indonesia’s democratic model is determined by competitive interaction among political forces and institutional practices of checks and balances, which altogether compensate for persisting tensions in inter-elite relations. Moreover, the domestic political consequences of the elections are partially offset by Indonesia’s foreign policy achievements and President Prabowo’s successful personal diplomacy.
About the Author
N. S. Kuklin
MGIMO University
Russian Federation
Competing Interests:
Russian Federation
Nikita S. Kuklin, PhD (Hist.), Expert, ASEAN Centre, Institute for International Studies, Associate Professor, Department of Asian and African Studies
76, Vernadsky avenue, Moscow, 119454
Competing Interests:
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
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Review
For citations:
Kuklin N.S. Electoral Culture and Transformation of D emocratic Institutions in Indonesia in the Context of the 2024 General Elections. Journal of International Analytics. 2025;16(4):114-128. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.46272/2587-8476-2025-16-4-114-128
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