SMRC: Highest Public Support for PDI-P and Gerindra

Public support for political parties before and after the Jakarta gubernatorial election (Pilkada DKI Jakarta) during the January-May 2017 period did not change significantly. The highest support was obtained by the PDI-P and Gerindra, at 21.7 percent and 9.3 percent respectively. According to a survey by Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting (SMRC), support for these two parties increased by approximately 4.7 percent during that period.

Since the 2014 general election, spontaneous voter support for the PDI-P has remained relatively stable, and in the medium term it is expected to maintain and even increase its electoral position through spontaneous voter preference. The strong support for political parties in previous elections was due to the presence of national figures. For example, the PDI-P's vote share in 1999 was due to Megawati, the Democratic Party's vote share in 2004 and 2009 was due to Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), and the PDI-P's vote share in 2014 was due to Joko Widodo. In 2019, Jokowi's stature as the incumbent presidential candidate will still influence voter attitudes towards the PDI-P.

The SMRC survey interviewed 1,500 respondents across 34 provinces using a multistage random sampling method. However, only 1,350 (90 percent) provided valid interviews. The margin of error for this survey is approximately ±2.5 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.