2015 Surabaya mayoral election

A mayoral election was held in Surabaya on 9 December 2015, as part of the 2015 simultaneous local elections across Indonesia. The incumbent mayor, Tri Rismaharini, popularly known as Risma, was running for re-election against the former Provincial Secretary of East Java, Rasiyo. Risma won by a landslide margin of over 70%.[1]

2015 Surabaya mayoral election

← 2010 9 December 2015 2020 →
Turnout51.34%
 
Nominee Tri Rismaharini Rasiyo
Party PDI-P Demokrat
Running mate Wisnu Sakti Buana Lucy Kurniasari
Popular vote 893,087 141,324
Percentage 86.34% 13.66%

Mayor before election

Tri Rismaharini
PDI-P

Elected Mayor

Tri Rismaharini
PDI-P

Candidates

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Two candidates ran in this election.[2]

Nominations

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The election was close to being postponed until 2017 as less than two candidates was registered by the end of the nominations period. At that point, there was no rules or precedence concerning walkover elections (the Constitutional Court ruled the legality of WO elections only on the end of September[3]). Risma-Wisnu was the only pair who managed to submit nomination papers on time.

Before Rasiyo-Lucy was registered, two attempts were made to register a challenger to Risma. In early August 2015, the PD and PAN attempted to nominate former journalist, Dhimam Abror Djuraid, paired with Haries Purwoko. The registration failed after Haries withdrew in the last minute. As no other attempts was made until the end of the nomination period, the local electoral committee (KPUD) extended the nomination period until early September. Several weeks after the failed first attempt, Dhimas was nominated again, this time with Rasiyo as his running mate. The KPUD rejected their nomination due to errors in their nomination papers. The PD and PAN finally managed to register a ticket in their third attempt. On 8 September, Rasiyo, paired with Lucy Kurniasari, were registered in the KPUD, ending the saga and allowing the election to proceed as scheduled.[2][4]

Campaign

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Results

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Risma's popularity allowed her to win re-election comfortably. Risma defeated Rasiyo by 86% to 14%, one of the biggest landslides in the 9 December elections.[5]

Summary of the 9 December 2015 Surabaya mayoral election result
Candidates Parties Votes %
Tri Rismaharini Indonesian Democratic Party – Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia-Perjuangan) 893,087 86.34%
Rasiyo Demokrat (Partai Demokrat) 141,324 13.66%
Total 1,034,411 100%
Valid votes 1,034,411 98.32%
Spoilt and null votes 17,630 1.68%
Turnout 1,052,041 51.34%
Abstentions 996,982 48.66%
Registered voters 2,049,023
Source: Central Electoral Committee (KPU)

References

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  1. ^ "Incumbents, former leaders remain too strong for newbies". The Jakarta Post. 10 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Risma, Rasiyo gear up for Surabaya mayoral elections". The Jakarta Post. 26 September 2015.
  3. ^ "MK Putuskan Calon Tunggal Tetap Mengikuti Pilkada Serentak" (in Indonesian). Kompas. 29 September 2015.
  4. ^ "Dems, PAN register opponent pair against Risma in Surabaya election". The Jakarta Post. 9 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Risma claims victory in Surabaya, promises more development". The Jakarta Post. 9 December 2015.