Election in Indonesia: The Problem of Vote-Buying Practices

Abstrak

It is common to find fraudulent practices and manipulations carried out during elections in various countries, including Indonesia. The election process is certainly related to efforts to win the competition, be it with legal, extra legal or illegal manners. Vote-buying practices during elections is a phenomenon that require the understanding of why and when politicians decide to conduct such practices to win the contest, which include also manners of clientelism and patronage. On the other hand, the reaction and receptiveness of the voters to such approaches is a significant factor to elaborate. This article is a summary of the result of a research conducted in five provinces (Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam, East Kalimantan, East Java, South Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara), which looked at various practices of vote-buying and vote count manipulation in national elections legislative and presidential) and local elections.