Presidential Candidates Must Secure More Than 50% of the Vote: Details of Valid Votes Since the 2004 Presidential Election

Although Indonesia has held general elections since 1955, the presidential election (Pilpres) was only first held in 2004. That year, for the first time, Indonesian citizens directly elected their president (Capres) and vice president (Cawapres) for a five-year term.

Several requirements exist for a Capres to win the election. Based on the Election Law No. 7/2017, the Pilpres can be conducted in one or two rounds.

Article 416 of the law explains that a Capres-Cawapres pair can win in a single round if they obtain more than 50% of the valid votes cast in the Pilpres, with a minimum of 20% of the vote in at least half of the provinces in Indonesia.

If no candidate pair reaches this threshold due to a large number of candidates, the two pairs with the most votes will proceed to a second round of direct elections.

If a tie occurs between three or more candidate pairs, the ranking for the second round will be determined based on the wider geographical distribution of their votes, in a tiered system.

Similarly, if a tie persists in the second round, the determination will be based on the wider geographical distribution of votes, in a tiered system.

According to data from the General Election Commission (KPU) compiled by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), the number of valid votes in the first round of the 2004 Pilpres reached 118.65 million. No candidate pair met the minimum 50% threshold. The details are as follows:

* Wiranto-Salahuddin Wahid: 26,286,788 votes (22.15%)
* Megawati Soekarnoputri-Hasyim Muzadi: 31,569,104 votes (26.61%)
* Amien Rais-Siswono Yudhohusodo: 17,392,931 votes (14.66%)
* Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Muhammad Jusuf Kalla: 39,838,184 votes (33.57%)
* Hamzah Haz-Agum Gumelar: 3,569,861 votes (3.01%)

From these results, Megawati-Hasyim and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY)-Jusuf Kalla (JK) advanced to the second round. The total valid votes in the second round reached 114,257,054, with the SBY-JK pair winning. The details are as follows:

* Megawati-Hasyim: 44,990,704 votes (39.38%)
* SBY-JK: 69,266,350 votes (60.62%)

Next, three candidate pairs competed in the 2009 Pilpres. The total valid votes were 121.5 million, with incumbent President SBY and his running mate, Boediono, winning decisively. The details are as follows:

* Megawati-Prabowo Subianto: 32,548,105 votes (26.79%)
* SBY-Boediono: 73,874,562 votes (60.80%)
* JK-Wiranto: 15,081,814 votes (12.41%)

After SBY's term ended and he was no longer eligible to run, the Pilpres was held in 2014. Only two candidate pairs competed, with Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-JK winning:

* Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa: 62,576,444 votes (46.85%)
* Jokowi-JK: 70,997,833 votes (53.15%)

Jokowi then ran for a second term in the 2019 Pilpres and won in a single round. The total votes cast were 154.25 million. The details are as follows:

* Jokowi-Maruf Amin: 85,607,362 votes (55.50%)
* Prabowo-Sandiaga Uno: 68,650,239 votes (44.50%)

According to PKPU 3/2022 concerning the Stages and Schedule of the General Election, voting will be held on February 14-15, 2024. The tabulation will take place from February 15 to March 20, 2024.

If a second round is necessary, PKPU 3/2022 states that the election will be held on June 26, 2024.