Tens of millions of Indonesians were voting Wednesday Dec 09,2015 in the country`s
first nationwide regional elections, the latest step in years-long
efforts to strengthen democracy following the end of authoritarian rule.
About 100 million voters are eligible to elect 269 provincial
governors, district heads and city mayors, with polls taking place in
around half the local administrations of the world`s third-biggest
democracy.
Direct elections for local leaders were introduced a decade ago, when
power was heavily decentralised as democratic reforms were rolled out
in the years after the 1998 downfall of dictator Suharto.
President Joko Widodo rose to power thanks to the system, starting
his political career as a city mayor. Local leader polls were abolished
last year after a parliament vote pushed by Widodo`s rivals, but
reinstated several months later following an outcry.
Never before have so many been held at the same time, however, with
local polls in the past taking place across the country on a rolling
basis.
By holding votes simultaneously, election officials hope to make the
system more efficient and save money, and plan to eventually have local
polls across the whole country at the same time.
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