Indonesian legislative election, 2004
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri casts her vote
Legislative elections were held in Indonesia on April 5, 2004. At stake were 550 seats in the lower house of the national legislature, the House of People's Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat). Voters will also elect 128 members of a new upper house of the national legislature, the Regional Representatives Council.
The results of the elections also determined which political parties will be eligible to enter candidates in Indonesia's first direct presidential election, which will be held on July 5. More than 7,700 candidates from 24 political parties stood at the elections. Indonesia has 148,000,369 registered voters. Election officials said it would be more than a week before reliable results were available.
On April 14, with 57 percent of the votes counted, the former ruling party of the Suharto era, the Functional Groups Party (Golkar), now led by Akbar Tanjung, extended its narrow lead over the President Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesia Democracy Party-Struggle (PDI-P).
Other parties with significant support included the National Awakening Party (PKB) of former President Abdurrahman Wahid, the United Development Party (PPP) of Vice-President Hamzar Haz, the newly-created Democrat Party (PD) of former security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Islamist Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and the National Mandate Party of Amien Rais.
Table of results at April 14
(Parties appear in ballot-paper order)
| Party | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesian National Party (Marhaenisme) (PNI (M)) | 639,818 | 0.7 | - |
| Social Democrat Labor Party (PBSD) | 377,590 | 0.4 | - |
| Crescent Star Party (PBB) | 2,141,495 | 2.5 | - |
| Freedom Party (PM) | 585,043 | 0.7 | - |
| United Development Party (PPP) | 7,067,350 | 8.3 | - |
| United Democratic Nationhood Party (PPDK) | 776,678 | 0.9 | - |
| New Indonesia Alliance Party (PPIB) | 412,082 | 0.5 | - |
| Freedom Bull National Party (PNBK) | 825,695 | 1.0 | - |
| Democrat Party (PD) | 6,428,480 | 7.5 | - |
| Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) | 947,030 | 1.1 | - |
| Indonesian Democratic Vanguard Party (PPDI) | 595,295 | 0.7 | - |
| Indonesian Nahdlatul Community Party (PPNUI) | 663,021 | 0.8 | - |
| National Mandate Party (PAN) | 5,537,793 | 6.5 | - |
| Concern for the Nation Functional Party (PKPB) | 1,817,486 | 2.1 | - |
| National Awakening Party (PKB) | 10,496,130 | 12.3 | - |
| Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) | 6,098,075 | 7.1 | - |
| Reform Star Party (PBR) | 1,915,605 | 2.2 | - |
| Indonesian Democratic Party - Struggle (PDI-P) | 16,979,177 | 19.8 | - |
| Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) | 1,331,591 | 1.5 | - |
| Functional Groups Party (Golkar) | 17,802,219 | 20.8 | - |
| Pancasila Patriots' Party (PPP) | 677,359 | 0.8 | - |
| Indonesian Unity Party (PSI) | 447,581 | 0.5 | - |
| Regional United Party (PPD) | 407,902 | 0.5 | - |
| Pioneers' Party (PP) | 551,077 | 0.6 | - |
| Total counted | 85,521,572 | - | - |
(No estimation of the number of seats likely to be won by the parties can yet be made.)
Golkar's advance to the leading position confirmed the views of the independent election monitoring group, who predicted the day after the election that Golkar would emerge as the leading party when all the votes were counted. The international monitoring group, JURDIL, said that Golkar would finish with 23 percent of the votes. It based its predictions on results from sample polling booths across the country.
JURDIL said that the PDI-P would come second with about 19 percent. "It is pretty clear from the data that we have to this point that PDI-P has dropped sharply from its historic high (of 34 percent) in the 1999 election," said Paul Rowland from JURDIL.
General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Nazarudin Syamsuddin said that elections in some districts would be delayed because election materials had not been delivered on time. These included nine of the 20 districts in Papua and some parts of Aceh province, where there is civil disorder.