Parties and elections in Indonesia 2009: the consolidation of democracy

Indonesia has held its third democratic elections since the fall of Suharto. Parliamentary elections took place on 9 April. Elections in Indonesia are now fairly routine and the country has become the most robust democracy in Southeast Asia. In the parliamentary election on 9 April, 38 parties contested but only 9 won seats. Parties in Indonesia are generally classified as being secular (“nationalist”) parties or Islamic parties. The Islamic parties appeal to either the “traditionalist” stream of Islam, which has incorporated elements of pre-Islamic and Hindu practice and tends to be more tolerant in outlook, or to the stricter more Middle Eastern-influenced “modernist” Islam.  Dr Stephen Sherlock is a political analyst and development consultant who specialises in governance and political change in the Asia-Pacific region