The sudden uptick in votes for unsuccessful candidate Dharma Pongrekun, who ran independently in the three-way Jakarta governor election, appears to reflect a growing discontent toward candidates nominated by political parties.

The Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority is ramping up preparations for President Prabowo Subianto’s planned move to the new capital by Aug. 17, 2028, with security measures and infrastructure development underway.

The General Elections Commission’s (KPU) provincial offices have announced the winners of gubernatorial elections in some crucial battlegrounds, confirming sweeping victories for political parties in President Prabowo Subianto’s ruling coalition.

There have been at least 116 recorded cases of police brutality in the country this year, including 29 extrajudicial killings, a study by Amnesty International Indonesia has found, citing a lack of evaluation, normalized violence and a permissive government attitude toward police misconduct as the primary contributing factors to the "worrying" pattern.

Hariqo Wibawa Satria of the Presidential Communications Office said a new mosque in Nusantara, once completed, would take the place of Istiqlal in hosting religious events at the state level.

The police have widened their online gambling investigation by questioning a high-ranking official from the Communications and Digital Ministry, in an apparent attempt to uncover the conspiracy of government workers abetting the illicit activity and receiving kickbacks in return.

KPU Jakarta has announced the PDI-P candidate’s victory in the three-horse race, but the city’s denizens must still wait for a formal announcement of their new governor and deputy governor as rival KIM pair Ridwan-Suswono prepares to mount a challenge.

Former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s recent dinner with President Prabowo Subianto may have been intended to secure political protection after the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) closed the door for reconciliation, analysts said.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) will issue an official letter to formalize its decision to expel former member Joko “Jokowi” Widodo along with his family members if he does not withdraw from the party on his own. 

Who does President Prabowo Subianto call when one of his cabinet members gets embroiled in public controversy? Step forward Cabinet Secretary Maj. Teddy Indra Wijaya ste, who issues the President's warnings and messages to officials to refrain from bringing the government into disrepute.  

Candidates from minority groups are projected to win local elections in several regions, prompting hope that it indicates a less discriminatory outlook from voters toward leaders of different genders, ethnicities and faiths.

The PDI-P is planning to expel 27 members for backing rival candidates in last week's regional head elections as part of an effort to tighten its ranks ahead of next year's congress.

Political parties backing Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Ridwan Kamil have begun gearing up for a runoff election despite his main rival having already claimed a single-round victory and the General Elections Commission (KPU) yet to announce the results.

Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo said at a hearing with House of Representatives Commission V overseeing infrastructure and transportation that the proposed amount would be part of the Rp 60.6 trillion budget the ministry hoped to secure for next year.

The nationalist party, now cast as the de facto opposition in the House, has met with general opposition from other political parties in the ruling coalition, but also some hints of support from observers about restructuring supervision over the police institution.

Over a dozen former members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) who ran for regional office this year are expected to have lost their contests, sparking questions about the institution’s image and whether it continues to hold sway over voters.

The court stated it had arrived at the decision based on its consideration that Article 42 of the KPK Law conditionally contradicted the Constitution.

The announcement was made after the minister met with Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke in Jakarta on Tuesday.

House of Representatives Commission II vice chairman Dede Yusuf has called for a wider time gap between the general election and regional elections, citing voter fatigue.

Coordinating Food Minister Zulkifli Hasan has requested an additional budget of Rp 505 billion (US$32.6 million) for his ministry due to a lack of office space, cars and infrastructure.

Foreign Minister Sugiono revealed on Monday his plans to revive the ministry’s directorate general for economic affairs, as President Subianto Prabowo’s close aide faced scrutiny in his debut meeting at the House of Representatives.

The projected outcomes of two uncontested regional head elections indicate that the sole candidates have failed to win their races, a phenomenon experts say reflects signs of dissatisfaction with the dominance of political parties and their candidates.

The foreign minister addressed some lingering concerns in his high-profile debut at home on Saturday, outlining the many ways the Prabowo administration’s foreign policy starts at home.

Analysts say the major party's election losses in battleground regions, according to provisional results, could distinguish it as an opposition force at a time when most political parties are becoming subsumed under the ruling coalition.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has sent an investigation team to probe the fatal shooting by a police officer of a teenage student in Semarang, Central Java.

Indonesia is in discussion with three countries, including France, over the return of several high-profile detainees and aims to transfer the prisoners by the end of December.

The projected outcome of Wednesday’s regional polls has cemented the dominance of President Prabowo Subianto’s big-tent electoral alliance, the Onward Indonesia Coalition (KIM), which was also behind the administration of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, after candidates backed by rival camps suffered upset defeats in a number of key battlegrounds.

In Jakarta, only 57 percent of registered voters voted during Wednesday's gubernatorial election, a trend also witnessed in other regions during this year's simultaneous regional elections, according to data from pollsters and poll bodies.

The families of the deceased poll workers will each receive Rp 36 million (US$2,272) in compensation, in addition to Rp 10 million for burial expenses. 

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chair, Megawati Soekarnoputri, says democracy in the country is “dying” as she claims to have received reports about the massive mobilization of regional leaders and security apparatuses during the recent regional head elections.