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Indonesia

https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/

August 2025

Protests over parliamentary members’ stipends turn violent

 At least ten people have been killed and thousands arrested in nationwide protests that began in Jakarta on 25 August. The protests were initially a response to plans to increase parliamentary living stipends by IDR  100 million (USD 6,150), thirty times greater than the median wage, and became violent after a police vehicle struck and killed a motorcyclist. Protests then spread to other cities around the country and public grievances expanded to include more general economic issues and dissatisfaction with a political class seen as self-dealing. The homes of MPs and government offices were ransacked or set on fire, and police responded to protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets. President Prabowo announced on 31 August the revocation of the increased living stipend and promised the military and police would restore public order. 

Sources: The Diplomat (1), The Diplomat (2), Jakarta Post (1), Jakarta Post (2), Jakarta Post (3)

Pardons of political rivals raises questions

Indonesian President Prabowo pardoned his political rivals, Thomas Lembong and Hasto Kristiyanto, on 1 August, after both were separately convicted in corruption-related cases. Hasto is the secretary-general of the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Thomas a former trade minister. Anticorruption and legal experts said the pardons are evidence of excessive interference in the judiciary, as neither case had exhausted the appeals process. Anticorruption experts separately criticized the pardons as undermining efforts to enforce anti-graft and corruption laws in the country, and that the timing and nature of the pardons suggest that Prabowo may have pardoned Hasto to win support or political concessions from the PDI-P. The president’s office said the pardons were to promote ‘national interests and public unity.’ 

Sources: Jakarta PostReuters, University of Melbourne

May 2025

Journalists attacked, threatened for critical speech

A journalist for the news website Detik retracted an op-ed in May criticizing the appointment of Army general Djaka Budi Utama to a high-level Finance Ministry position after being physically assaulted twice by masked attackers the same day the op-ed was published. The editorial criticized Djaka’s appointment as being outside the scope allowed for active-duty generals as permitted by law, as well as for his conviction in 1999 for overseeing the kidnapping and ‘disappearing’ of pro-democracy activists. After Djaka’s appointment was announced, a government spokesperson clarified that Djaka had resigned earlier in the month. Rights activists called on the government to protect freedom of expression and said the attack was not without recent precedent. In March 2025, unknown individuals sent a disturbing package to the offices of the magazine Tempo, in what was similarly understood to be efforts to intimidate critical reporting. 

Sources: Nikkei Asia, Jakarta PostKompas

April 2025

Court ruling limits scope of defamation claims

Indonesia’s Constitutional Court ruled three parts of the 1946 criminal code criminalizing the dissemination of fake news and defamation unconstitutional on 17 April. Human rights and press freedom advocates hailed the decision as a small but significant victory for freedom of expression, as these parts of the criminal code had historically been used to punish fair criticism of government officials. Defamation remains criminalized in Indonesia under numerous statutes, and the United Nations and Human Rights Watch have criticized other elements of the country’s codes and statutes which similarly limit freedom of expression and the press. However, advocates say the ruling provides a strong precedent which will allow other petitioners to challenge the constitutionality of other statutes.

Sources: Aliansi Jurnalis Independen, ReutersHuman Rights Watch

Arrest of judges highlights lack of oversight
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On 14 and 15 April, the Attorney General’s Office arrested four judges who recently acquitted three palm oil companies of corruptly obtaining export licenses. The arrests were related to charges that those judges allegedly accepted IDR 60 billion (USD 3.6 million) from the companies’ lawyers in exchange for their decision. Corruption in the judiciary has proved durable in Indonesia despite some efforts to counteract it, with one watchdog cataloguing 29 cases with bribes totalling IDR 108 billion (USD 6.5 million). The arrests come in the wake of attempts by both former President Joko Widodo and President Prabowo Subianto to curb judicial corruption by increasing judges’ salaries, but experts say stronger oversight of judicial conduct and an increased focus on ethics in recruitment may be needed to stamp out judicial corruption. The Supreme Court has promised to remove the judges if they are found guilty and to consider stronger oversight mechanisms.

Sources: Jakarta Post, Reuters

March 2025

Constitutional Court acts to prevent strategic MP resignations

The Constitutional Court ruled on 20 March that national and local legislators are barred from resigning their posts with the stated purpose of contesting regional executive elections. Regional elections are typically held several months after national elections, and the complaint detailed numerous cases where newly-elected MPs resigned ostensibly to contest regional elections, but in practice appeared to be resigning to allow party leadership to reallocate parliamentary seats for personal or patrimonial considerations. In the most recent electoral cycle, nineteen MPs-elect resigned their seats between winning election and taking their seats to instead contest the November 2024 regional head elections. Lawmakers critical and supportive of the ruling said parliament plans to take its guidance into account as it revises electoral laws in upcoming parliamentary sessions.

Source: Jakarta Post, Kompas

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Global ranking per category of democratic performance in 2024

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Representation
72/173
Rights
101/173
Rule of Law
98/173
Participation
36/173

Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
281 190 067
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
President Prabowo Subianto (since October 2024)
Head of government party
Great Indonesia Movement Party
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
21.9%
Women in upper chamber
Not applicable
Last legislative election
2024
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
9.10
Head of state
President Prabowo Subianto (since October 2024)
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority, with minimum regional distribution of the vote needed to win in first round)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
07/11/2022
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
76.21%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
State Party
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
Signatory
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
in
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
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/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
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high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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