2007 Jakarta gubernatorial election

A gubernatorial election was held in Jakarta on 8 August 2007 to elect the Governor of Jakarta for the five-year term between 2007 and 2012. It was the first direct election for the capital city. Incumbent Sutiyoso did not participate in the election, with his deputy Fauzi Bowo facing off against former police general Adang Daradjatun.

2007 Jakarta gubernatorial election
8 August 2007
Turnout65.41%[1]
 
Nominee Fauzi Bowo Adang Daradjatun
Party Demokrat PKS
Running mate Prijanto Dani Anwar
Popular vote 2,109,511 1,535,555
Percentage 57.87% 42.13%
  Fauzi Bowo
  Adang Daradjatun

Lighter shades (■or■) indicate a winning majority of less than 5%.
Governor before election

Sutiyoso
ABRI

 Elected Governor

Fauzi Bowo
Demokrat

Fauzi Bowo, which received the political support of a major coalition of political parties, won the election and secured nearly 58% of the 3.6 million votes while his opponent received about 1.5 million despite being backed by just PKS.

Background

Prior to 2005, regional leaders such as governors and mayors were indirectly elected by the regional legislative body (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah), which members were elected in public elections. It was not until 2005 when this system was replaced by direct elections for local areas.[2]

The previous governor, Sutiyoso, was reelected for his second term through the indirect method with Fauzi Bowo as his deputy on September 2002, in a vote held in the midst of demonstrations against his governance. Observers described the results as "expected".[3]

Candidates

Sitting vice governor Fauzi Bowo received the support of a major coalition of parties, while his opponent Anang Daradjatun only managed to secure the support of the Prosperous Justice Party - which had previously won the local elections of Jakarta's satellite cities of Bekasi and Depok. Outside the two, several other figures such as Agum Gumelar and Faisal Basri were also potential candidates, but did not manage to secure backing.[4]

Then-academist Anies Baswedan noted the large amount of negotiations and transactions involved with the formation of the coalition.[4]

Issues

The primary issues contested were chronic poverty and unemployment in addition to the city's traffic jams and annual flooding. Topics such as corruption and Islam's role in public life also became campaigning areas.[5]

Fauzi Bowo's campaign in particular claimed that Daradjatun's governorship will result in limitations for the city's nightlife because of his backing from the islamist PKS. The latter denied this and in turn accused Fauzi of being indebted to his political backers.[5] Daradjatun also accused the previous administration of incompetence.[6]

Results

Following early vote counts, Anang-Dani conceded their defeat before the official results were released.[7] Fauzi Bowo-Prijanto were officially declared as winners of the election on 16 August, after securing 2,109,511 (57.87%) of the votes while Anang gained 1,535,555 (42.13%) votes. The former pair won in all constituent cities (and the Thousand Islands Regency).[1] The turnout of over 3.6 million voters (~65%) exceeded expectations.[8]

Votes by area[1] Fauzi-Prijanto Anang-Dani
Votes % Votes %
Central Jakarta 234,144 56.04 183,679 43.96
East Jakarta 611,788 56.78 465,750 43.22
North Jakarta 319,506 57.56 235,616 42.44
South Jakarta 460,380 57.40 341,667 42.60
West Jakarta 475,894 60.94 304,983 39.06
Thousand Islands 7,799 66.89 3,860 33.11
Total 2,109,511 57.87 1,535,555 42.13

Aftermath

The election was mentioned in a diplomatic cable brought up by WikiLeaks, which noted that "despite the intense press coverage of the election and its national importance, the Jakarta elites have rigged the game".[9][10] Fauzi Bowo would later run again for his second term in 2012, in which he lost to Joko Widodo.[11]

References
  1. "KPU Tetapkan Fauzi Bowo-Prianto Pemenang Pilkada DKI 2007". Antara News (in Indonesian). 16 August 2007. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  2. "Indonesia retains regional elections". BBC News. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  3. "Sutiyoso Kembali Menjabat Gubernur DKI". Liputan6 (in Indonesian). 11 September 2002. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  4. Baswedan, Anies R. (December 2007). "Indonesian Politics in 2007: The Presidency, Local Elections and the Future of Democracy". Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies. 43 (3): 323–340. doi:10.1080/00074910701727597. S2CID 154562089.
  5. "Jakarta holds first direct election for governor". The New York Times. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  6. Adhityani, Arga (8 August 2007). "Indonesia's capital votes in first direct election". Reuters. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  7. "Islamic party candidate concedes Jakarta election". Reuters. 10 August 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  8. "In Indonesia: Positive Vibes from Jakarta's First Direct Gubernatorial Election - The Asia Foundation". The Asia Foundation. 8 August 2007. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  9. "Wikileaks Juga Soroti Pilkada DKI 2007". VIVA (in Indonesian). 7 July 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  10. "PKS VERSUS THE WORLD IN JAKARTA GOVERNOR'S RACE". WikiLeaks. Retrieved 24 March 2018.
  11. Kuhn, Anthony (24 December 2012). "Jakarta's New Governor Seen As A Rising Star". NPR. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
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