Indonesia’s vice presidential candidate Hatta Rajasa, left, greets presidential candidate Joko Widodo, second from left, while presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, second from right, greets vice presidential candidate Jusuf Kalla, before their presidential debate in Jakarta on June 9, 2014. Indonesia will go to the polls to select a new president on July 9. (Reuters Photo/Supri) Jakarta. A significant number of constituents may no longer belong to the large group of swing voters after having been swayed to finally choose one candidate after Monday night’s first televised presidential debate of this season, according to a poll result. A survey conducted by poll institute Cyrus Network from May 25 to 31 showed as many as 80 percent of respondents told interviewers they would have loved to watch the debate, which was broadcasted live on several local TV stations. A total of 58.5 percent of those who did witness the dialogue said it wouldn’t change their electoral preference, while a fairly considerable portion — 33 percent — said otherwise. “Both presidential candidates should make use of this opportunity to either widen the voting gap, or narrow it,” Cyrus director Hasan Nasbi said while announcing the survey results in Jakarta on Tuesday. Cyrus’ latest poll found that Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo and his running mate Jusuf Kalla still led the race with nearly 54 percent of votes — compared with Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa who secured 41 percent. However, these figures reflect the preference of voters at the time of the interview, which was two weeks ago — leaving ample time for the Indonesian people to change their minds. For the actual voting day, which is set for July 9, Cyrus predicts the Joko-Kalla ticket to see a slight rise in support, securing 56.6 percent of votes, compared to Prabowo-Hatta’s 43.5 percent. “Undecided voters accounted for 3.5 percent [of respondents], while 1.8 percent declined to answer,” Hasan added. The survey involved 1,500 participants from 33 provinces in Indonesia, with a 2.6 percent margin of error. Cyrus Network’s number of undecided voters is considerably lower than the figure found by Indonesian Survey Circle (LSI) during a poll the latter held three weeks prior — from May 1 to 9. LSI data saw Joko-Kalla gain the lead but with only 35 percent of votes, while Prabowo-Hatta collected 23 percent and undecided voters accounted for a whopping 42 percent of respondents. “Both teams have a chance to win, because 42 percent of voters are undecided,” LSI researcher Adjie Alfaraby last month. Another survey by LSI suggested that Joko-Hatta would most likely win the race in five out of seven provinces the poll institute dubbed as “strategic territories.” Respondents of the survey conducted in early May — though the results were only announced last week — favored Joko-Kalla over rivals Prabowo-Hatta in West Java, Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra and South Sulawesi. Central Java and South Sulawesi are considered a shoe-in for the pair, given that the former is a traditional stronghold of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) — Joko’s political vehicle — while the latter is Kalla’s hometown. Prabowo-Hatta, meanwhile, conquered Jakarta and Banten. “LSI identifies these provinces as a real battlefield for the candidates — a determining win factor,” the polling institute said in a press statement on June 4. “Some 70 percent of the nation’s eligible voters reside in these seven provinces.” This article originally appeared in The Jakarta Globe.
Posted on: Wed, 18 Jun 2014 05:21:42 +0000
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