ABSTRACT
West Java province has the highest number of eligible voters in modern-day Indonesia, making it one of the most significant electoral battlegrounds in Java Island, as well as nationally. This chapter aims to flesh out the electoral dynamics of West Java by examining the two consecutive elections of the 2018 West Java gubernatorial election and the more recent 2019 simultaneous national elections. This chapter argues that there are at least three noteworthy aspects that influence West Java’s political dynamics. Identity politics, specifically religious identity, shaped the electoral dynamics in West Java by influencing the candidates’ electoral strategies, and in turn these strategies accentuated, emphasised, and perpetuated the use of identity politics in the election. The second noteworthy aspect is the role of influential local figures, primarily local politicians, and religious leaders, as power brokers. Finally, the ever-increasing access to social media and deeper internet penetration exposes the electorates to a variety of false information that shape voters’ preferences.
