Political tensions in Indonesia are expected to remain high ahead of the national leadership change in October and regional polls in November
[JAKARTA] With less than two months before Indonesia’s leadership change at the federal level, the country’s stability is under scrutiny in light of the mass protests over a controversial election Bill.
The unrest, which has rattled capital markets and weakened the rupiah, throws the spotlight on potential risks ahead.
Yose Rizal Damuri, executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, pointed to Indonesia’s unusually-long transition from the February election results to the October presidential inauguration as a source of prolonged uncertainty, because it gives the outgoing president and Parliament room to implement policies that could trigger social unrest and instability.
