Indonesian Presidential Election 2009

This will be the second election in which Indonesians elect their President and Vice President directly. In 2004, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono defeated incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri in a run-off election. Polls through early January 2009 saw Yudhoyono leading a large field of potential presidential candidates.[2]

Incumbent Vice President Jusuf Kalla announced in February 2009 that he would not be returning as a vice presidential candidate with Yudhoyono. Instead, he was ready to challenge Yudhoyono should Golkar, the party which he chaired, nominate him as a presidential candidate.[3] Other individuals interested in becoming presidential candidates included former President Abdurrahman Wahid,[4] former People's Representative Council Speaker Akbar Tanjung,[5] Yogyakarta Sultan Hamengkubuwana X,[6] and former Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso.[7]

On 17 February, the Constitutional Court ruled that independent candidates would not be allowed to run in the election.[8]

Coalition talks

Following legislative elections held on 9 April, coalitions of political parties began to emerge in order to nominate candidates for President and Vice President. Under the 2008 Presidential Election Law, the candidates must be nominated by a party or coalition that won at least 25% of the popular vote or 112 (20%) of 560 seats of the People's Representative Council.[9] Indonesia's Constitutional Court also ruled that independent candidates would not be allowed to run.[10] Candidates had to officially register with the General Election Commission by midnight of 16 May in order to appear on the ballots.[11]

It initially appeared that Golkar, the party of incumbent Vice President Jusuf Kalla, would enter into a coalition with the Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle (PDI–P) of former president Megawati Sukarnoputri to challenge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party. However, talks were broken off on 13 April 2009, with Golkar reportedly more interested in continuing the coalition with Yudhoyono rather than risk being cut off from power completely. Yudhoyono was also in talks with Islamist parties in a bid to form a coalition controlling more than half the seats in parliament.[12][13][14]

By late April 2009, Golkar was in talks with smaller parties to gain the votes it lacked to be able to nominate Kalla as a presidential candidate.[15] A ten-party coalition was formed on 1 May, consisting of Golkar, PDI–P, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), the Reform Star Party (PBR), the Ulema National Awakening Party (PKNU), the National People's Concern Party (PPRN), the Labor Party and the Indonesian Nahdlatul Community Party (PPNUI). Two parties who had been considering joining the coalition, the National Mandate Party (PAN) and the United Development Party (PPP), in the end decided not to join.[16] Shortly after the ten-party coalition was announced, incumbent Vice President Kalla announced a joint ticket with former Indonesian military leader Wiranto.[17]

The PDI–P selected former president Megawati as its presidential candidate on 7 May but did not immediately announce a running mate.[18] The announcement ensured that the election would have to go to a second round.[17] The possibility of Gerindra leader Prabowo Subianto becoming Megawati's running mate had been favored by PDI–P leadership, but the two parties had yet to come to an agreement two days before the 16 May candidate registration deadline.[19][20] After plans to announce the pair's candidacy were postponed to allow for continuing negotiations, both parties eventually declared on 15 May the nomination of Megawati and Prabowo as candidates for president and vice president.[21]

In the scenario that either Kalla or Megawati loses his or her bid for the presidency in the first election round, one candidate will support the other in the second round as agreed upon by the grand coalition formed to oppose incumbent President Yudhoyono.[22]

On 12 May 2009, Yudhoyono chose Boediono, the governor of Bank Indonesia (Indonesia's central bank), as his running mate.[23] Four parties which had planned to form a coalition with Yudhoyono's Democratic Party (PAN, PPP, the National Awakening Party (PKB), and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS)) had expected that the vice presidential nominee would come from one of their parties. Although they threatened to form their own coalition with Gerindra and present their own candidate, PKB became the first party in the coalition to support Yudhoyono's decision.[24][25] The remaining three parties eventually agreed to support the Yudhoyono-Boediono ticket and attended the nomination ceremony in Bandung on 15 May. However, PKS will remain in negotiation with the Democratic Party for a more equal power sharing agreement should Yudhoyono win the election