Research Article
A Sole-Candidate Election Involving a Non-Incumbent: The Unusual 2018 Mayoral Election in Makassar, Indonesia
@INPROCEEDINGS{10.4108/eai.25-6-2019.2287975, author={Dewi Mayangsari and Panji Anugrah Permana}, title={A Sole-Candidate Election Involving a Non-Incumbent: The Unusual 2018 Mayoral Election in Makassar, Indonesia}, proceedings={Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium on Indonesian Politics, SIP 2019, 26-27 June 2019, Central Java, Indonesia}, publisher={EAI}, proceedings_a={ISIP}, year={2019}, month={9}, keywords={sole-candidate election incumbency elite competition makassar indonesia}, doi={10.4108/eai.25-6-2019.2287975} }- Dewi Mayangsari
Panji Anugrah Permana
Year: 2019
A Sole-Candidate Election Involving a Non-Incumbent: The Unusual 2018 Mayoral Election in Makassar, Indonesia
ISIP
EAI
DOI: 10.4108/eai.25-6-2019.2287975
Abstract
. Political scientists have pointed out that the considerable power of incumbency has contributed to the high frequency of instances wherein incumbents running for re-election face no opposition. However, in Makasar, Indonesia, in 2018, something unusual happened: there was only one pair of candidates running for mayor and deputy mayor, and they were not incumbents. This paper analyzes the process that led to this unusual result, pointing out that the sole candidate election resulted because the incumbent was unable to solidify his political support in the face of strong, organized opposition. The incumbent mayor decided to run as an independent (without a party nomination) to avoid the party-led transition sought by the national elite opposition who wanted to prevent his nomination. However, he was ultimately barred from the election by a center-led transition resulting from legal challenges by the opposition forces, who successfully alleged that the mayor had committed violations while in office