Every officer must be equipped with a bulletproof vest, helmet and "weapons".

I honestly never think nor do anything about it. And it is hard to explain why people sense that I still have influence. [Whether I still have it] is a matter of personal opinion.

Mineral-rich Papua, Indonesia's easternmost province, has been dealing for decades with a low-level separatist insurgency, as well as poverty and communal tensions.

With its star-studded lineup of candidates, the mayoral race in South Tangerang – one of the fastest developing satellite cities of Jakarta – is being billed by many political analysts as a competitive electoral contest ahead of the Dec. 9 polls.

Several Papuan students in Ambon, Maluku, reportedly received intimidation and verbal abuse from locals and TNI personnel ahead of the Dec. 1 rally.  

Like father, like son. Gibran Rakabuming Raka, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s eldest son, is primed to easily rise to political power through the upcoming mayoral election in Surakarta, Central Java, just like Jokowi 15 years ago.

The government has declared Dec. 9, the voting day in the upcoming simultaneous regional election, a national holiday.

Din Syamsuddin, a prominent Islamic scholar from Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organization Muhammadiyah, is no longer on either the executive board or the advisory board.  

Unlike previous elections, and for the first time in the nation’s history, the COVID-19 pandemic will cast a long shadow over the political contests.

The decision by Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Edhy Prabowo to roll back his predecessor’s policy of banning the export of lobster larvae may prove to be his downfall.

“In Turkey, you’ve had Islamic populism dominating the state. In Egypt, you’ve had Islamic populism dominating civil society. In Indonesia, and this may be controversial to some people, I’d suggest that Islamic populism has failed to dominate either civil society or the state,” a professor of Asian Studies has said.

The arrest of fisheries minister Edhy Prabowo, a member of Gerindra Party, could potentially drive a wedge between President Jokowi and party chairman Prabowo Subianto, who is also the defense minister.  

Political experts predict tight races in a number of regions in the upcoming 2020 simultaneous elections.

The sole goal of the political parties is to win as many regional elections as they can, which explains why pro-government parties often partner up with opposition to support regional candidates.

Supervisors have been threatened while attempting to disperse crowds.

As the Constitutional Court's webpage on active litigation continues to fill up with well into the third week since the President signed the jobs law, a coalition of unions and NGOs has become the latest to petition for a judicial review.

Members of the House Legislation Body (Baleg) convened in a series of hearings on Monday and Tuesday to deliberate the bill, during which some party representatives criticized content they argued would overreach into people's private lives.

South Tangerang must prepare for a competitive mayoral race next month, results from the latest pollster survey have shown, as candidates with a distinguished track record of serving in the current ruling political dynasty shored up high electability ratings in a three-horse-race that looks likely to be decided by swing voters.

The Merauke Police have arrested 54 participants of a meeting organized by the Papuan People’s Assembly (MRP) to evaluate 20 years of special autonomy and funding, accusing them of "another mission".

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has called off its plan to use an electronic vote recapitulation (e-recap) system to help determine the winners of the 2020 simultaneous regional elections following objections from lawmakers.

Following the dismissal of the police chiefs of Jakarta and West Java, which was ordered by Coordinating Political, Legal and Human Rights Minister Mahfud MD, the Jakarta Police on Tuesday summoned Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, seeking clarification regarding a public gathering held at the FPI headquarters in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, where thousands of Rizieq's supporters gathered without wearing masks and causally ignoring social-distancing rules.

The Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) found a total of 1,315 violations involving an undisclosed number of regional leader candidates or supporters during in-person campaign events from Sept. 26 to Nov. 4.

"This bill prohibits the production, distribution, storage, and consumption of alcohol. It will kill a lot of businesses and lead to thousands of people without jobs,” a Golkar lawmaker said.

No one would be faulted for thinking that there was a resurgence of Islamic politics in Indonesia, but the truth is the elite class among Islam-based parties remains mired in power struggles amid efforts to secure the Muslim vote in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

Prior to leaving for Mecca for umrah (minor haj) in 2017, Rizieq was believed to have played a large role in Anies’ gubernatorial victory over incumbent  Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian of Chinese descent.

While the next race for the Indonesian presidency is still four years away, a recent electability survey has found that the incumbent defense minister currently leads the polls.

Conservative Islam has seen a recent resurgence in Indonesia’s political landscape, most recently with the reemergence of the born-again Masyumi Party. But moderates and other Islamic politicians were quick to dismiss the influence and aspirations of a minority group in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) chairman Suharso Monoarfa has been reported to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for allegedly accepting a gratuity.

In July, the House of Representatives Legislation Body officially dropped the bill from this year’s Prolegnas priority list, citing the bill as being “too complicated”.

More than 20 percent of respondents praised his strong leadership, 19.1 percent approved of his uncompromising approach to decision-making and 11 percent commended his ability to maintain national security.