2015 Surabaya mayoral election explained

Election Name:2015 Surabaya mayoral election
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Flag Image:City of Surabaya Logo.svg
Turnout:51.34%
Previous Election:2010 Surabaya mayoral election
Previous Year:2010
Next Election:2020 Surabaya mayoral election
Next Year:2020
Election Date:9 December 2015
Image1:Tri_Rismaharini.jpg
Nominee1:Tri Rismaharini
Running Mate1:Wisnu Sakti Buana
Party1:Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle
Popular Vote1:893,087
Percentage1:86.34%
Nominee2:Rasiyo
Running Mate2:Lucy Kurniasari
Party2:Democratic Party (Indonesia)
Popular Vote2:141,324
Percentage2:13.66%
Mayor
Before Election:Tri Rismaharini
Before Party:Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle
After Election:Tri Rismaharini
After Party:Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle

A mayoral election was held in Surabaya on 9 December 2015, as part of the 2015 simultaneous local elections across Indonesia. The incumbent mayor, Tri Rismaharini, popularly known as Risma, was running for re-election against the former Provincial Secretary of East Java, Rasiyo. Risma won by a landslide margin of over 70%.[1]

Candidates

Two candidates ran in this election.[2]

Nominations

The election was close to being postponed until 2017 as less than two candidates was registered by the end of the nominations period. At that point, there was no rules or precedence concerning walkover elections (the Constitutional Court ruled the legality of WO elections only on the end of September[3]). Risma-Wisnu was the only pair who managed to submit nomination papers on time.

Before Rasiyo-Lucy was registered, two attempts were made to register a challenger to Risma. In early August 2015, the PD and PAN attempted to nominate former journalist, Dhimam Abror Djuraid, paired with Haries Purwoko. The registration failed after Haries withdrew in the last minute. As no other attempts was made until the end of the nomination period, the local electoral committee (KPUD) extended the nomination period until early September. Several weeks after the failed first attempt, Dhimas was nominated again, this time with Rasiyo as his running mate. The KPUD rejected their nomination due to errors in their nomination papers. The PD and PAN finally managed to register a ticket in their third attempt. On 8 September, Rasiyo, paired with Lucy Kurniasari, were registered in the KPUD, ending the saga and allowing the election to proceed as scheduled.[4]

Results

Risma's popularity allowed her to win re-election comfortably. Risma defeated Rasiyo by 86% to 14%, one of the biggest landslides in the 9 December elections.[5] |-! colspan="2" align="left" | Candidates! align="left" | Parties! Votes! %|-| style="color:inherit;background:" || align="left" | Tri Rismaharini| align="left" | Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia-Perjuangan)| | %|-| style="color:inherit;background:" || align="left" | Rasiyo| align="left" | Demokrat (Partai Demokrat)| | %|-| colspan="8" bgcolor="#E9E9E9" ||-! colspan="3" align="left" | Total! ! 100%|-| colspan="8" bgcolor="#E9E9E9" | |-| colspan="3" align="left" | Valid votes| || %|-| colspan="3" align="left" | Spoilt and null votes| || %|-| colspan="3" align="left" | Turnout| || %|-| colspan="3" align="left" | Abstentions| || %|-| colspan="3" align="left" | Registered voters| | style="color:inherit;background:#E9E9E9" ||-| colspan="8" bgcolor="#E9E9E9" | |-| colspan="8" align="left" | Source: Central Electoral Committee (KPU)|}

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Incumbents, former leaders remain too strong for newbies. 10 December 2015. The Jakarta Post.
  2. Web site: Risma, Rasiyo gear up for Surabaya mayoral elections . 26 September 2015. The Jakarta Post.
  3. Web site: MK Putuskan Calon Tunggal Tetap Mengikuti Pilkada Serentak . 29 September 2015. Kompas. Indonesian.
  4. Web site: Dems, PAN register opponent pair against Risma in Surabaya election . 9 September 2015. The Jakarta Post.
  5. Web site: Risma claims victory in Surabaya, promises more development . 9 December 2015. The Jakarta Post.