1. Local Election Disputes in Indonesia: The Case of North Maluku
- Publication Date:
- 01-2009
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- International Crisis Group
- Abstract:
- The election for governor in Indonesia's North Maluku province was one of the most bitterly contested since direct elections for local government heads were introduced in 2005. Held in November 2007, it remains in dispute more than a year later, although a winner has been named and inaugurated. At one point it seemed as if violence between the two sides could escalate into serious communal conflict, in an area where thousands had died in religious violence a decade earlier. By early 2009, however, it looked as though Indonesia's democratic institutions would be resilient enough to cope with an election gone wrong, and the dispute would be quietly resolved in the Constitutional Court. The Court's decision is expected in early February. The dispute that many thought could trigger further turmoil may prove instead to be a minor wrangle in Indonesia's largely successful effort to choose local government leaders by direct popular vote.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, Civil Society, Democratization, and Government
- Political Geography:
- Indonesia and Asia