Indonesia, the world's fourth-most populous country (270 million), held its election on 14 February 2024. As the world's third-largest democracy and the largest Muslim-majority democracy, Indonesia's election is not only a crucial domestic affair but also an event with global significance.
Since its democratisation in 1998, Indonesia has stood out as an example of democracy in Southeast Asia and the Islamic world. In the election, over 200 million people cast their votes for the President and Vice-President from three pairs of candidates. Voters also chose their representatives, with more than 300,000 legislative candidates competing for around 20,000 seats at the national and local levels. All of this happened in an archipelagic nation with over 16,000 islands.
This panel discussion aims to explore the complexities of the Indonesian election, its global implications, and the lessons it can offer for our understanding of democracy.
Speakers
Amirah Kaca Sumarto is a current DPhil student in Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government with research in the fields of political economy, governance, electoral politics, and public sector reform. Prior to her DPhil, Amirah was the Executive Director of B-Trust, a non-profit advisory group that supports the Indonesian government in leveraging innovation, participation, and good governance to improve public services. Amirah holds a Master of Public Administration (with Distinction) from the LSE and a BSc in Industrial Engineering from Institut Teknologi Bandung.
Dara Nasution is the Head of Digital Campaign at the Golkar Institute. With a deep understanding of political dynamics and digital innovation, she crafts and executes comprehensive online strategies that ensure political messages are effectively communicated across various digital platforms. Dara previously worked for Meta (Facebook), where she led cross-functional stakeholders outreach strategy. She also provided political consultancy through Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) and was a political party’s spokesperson. Dara holds a Master of Public Policy from the School, and was a recipient of Jardine Foundation Scholarship.
Nadia Kartikasari is a consultant at the World Bank. She is an experienced policy analyst with urban planning and public policy background and with a history of working in the government administration industry. Nadia completed her Master of Public Policy at the School in 2023. Prior to that she worked in the Governor of Jakarta’s Delivery Unit.
Anindita K. Listya serves as an Advisor on Anti-Corruption & Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation at the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, specialises in steering SEAPAC’s (Southeast Asia Parliamentarians against Corruption) initiatives with national legislative bodies in the region, emphasising the pivotal role of inter-parliamentary efforts in combating corruption. She advised the Vice-Speaker during Indonesia's leadership tenure at the GOPAC (2015-2019), contributing to the establishment of its parliamentary integrity zone and providing advisory services for the Parliaments of G20 and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly. Her background includes a stint at the Ministry of Development Planning and various roles within governmental and civic organisations. Her main policy areas are anti-corruption legislation, legislative openness, financial transparency oversight, and asset recovery efforts.
