12-06-2026
How much does it cost to win an election in Indonesia and who pays the price? A new report from UGM (PolGov) and KITLV, supported by LP3ES, offers the first comprehensive, data-driven answer. The study finds that winning district-head candidates spent an average of 36.8 billion rupiah (USD 2.1 million).
This is roughly 7,400 percent of the office's annual salary. Nearly half came from candidates' own pockets, creating intense pressure to recoup costs through corruption once in office. The study is based on a survey of 478 candidates across 10 provinces and fieldwork shadowing 14 campaigns,
The findings are striking: vote-buying consumed 12.9 trillion rupiah nationally, equal to 7 percent of the health budget. Illegal "political dowry" payments to parties were nearly universal, totalling 9.4 trillion rupiah. The highest spender won in 78 percent of races. Yet the report argues these costs are not inevitable. They result from reversible policy choices. The report sets out concrete reforms, from curbing vote-buying to democracy vouchers and stronger spending limits.
The report will be launched on 29 June in Jakarta. An online English and Indonesian version of the report can be found here: