The 2018 and 2019 elections in South Sulawesi

Abstract

This chapter seeks to provide an analysis of the electoral dynamics of the 2018 regional elections and the 2019 presidential election on South Sulawesi – the seventh most populated province in Indonesia. South Sulawesi as a case study provides some important insights, including: coalition-building and power-brokering between candidates and political parties based on transactionalism; the decline of Jusuf Kalla’s influence on South Sulawesi politics; an increase in demand from voters towards accountability-based leaders regardless of the political parties behind the figure; the problem of coordination and logistics in both Jokowi’s and Prabowo’s regional campaign teams; and the role of Islamic groups shaping the outcome of the presidential election in the province within the framework of identity politics. The last point explains why Prabowo’s candidacy gained traction among South Sulawesi voters to emerge as the presidential candidate of choice in the province.