Plenty of old faces in the new House

JAKARTA. The General Elections Commission (KPU) officially announced on Wednesday the composition of the next term of the House of Representatives, which will be filled with a mix of old and new faces. 

KPU chairman Husni Kamil Manik led a plenary meeting to officially announce the number of seats won by each political party contesting the April 9 legislative election.

“A copy [of the list of elected candidates] will officially be submitted to each political party’s central board,” he said on Wednesday.

“Those names will be made official by presidential decree.”

The list of elected candidates included many incumbent legislators.

From legislative election victor the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), 10 lawmakers are expected to serve another term, including Rieke Diah Pitaloka, Maruarar Sirait, Tjahjo Kumolo and Pramono Anung Wibowo, the current deputy speaker of the House.

The Golkar Party also has several familiar names returning to Senayan, including Meutya Hafid, Tantowi Yahya, Bambang Soesatyo and Setya Novanto. In total, Golkar has eight incumbents in the new House.

Meanwhile, four Democratic Party lawmakers won enough votes for reelection, including senior party politician Ruhut Sitompul and Edhie “Ibas” Baskoro Yudhoyono, the son of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Ruhut won in the North Sumatra electoral district with 34,685 votes — beating out other Democrats Ramadhan Pohan and Sutan Bhatoegana. Ibas won 243,737 votes in an electoral district in East Java.

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), will also see four of its lawmakers — Nasir Djamil, Mahfudz Siddiq, Tamsil Linrung and Adang Daradjatun — return to the House for another term.

Other prominent candidates winning a seat in the House include controversial Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring from the PKS, son of NasDem Party patron Surya Paloh, Prananda Paloh, and current Hanura Party lawmaker Nurdin Tampubolon.

Many figures from the entertainment industry have also won House seats, including actor-turned-politician Dede Yusuf Effendi, rock singer Anang Hermansyah, racer Moreno Soeprapto, soap opera actress Desy Ratnasari and former pageant queen and salsa dancer Venna Melinda.

On Wednesday, the KPU also announced the election’s top 10 vote-getters, which included three PDI-P candidates: Karolin Margret Natasa, who won in the West Kalimantan electoral district with 397,481 votes; Puan Maharani, daughter of PDI-P chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, who won the Central Java electoral district with 369,927 votes; and I Wayan Koster, who won in Bali with 260,342 votes.

According to the final tally, the PDI-P came out on top in the election, winning 109 seats representing 19.5 percent of the House. The Golkar Party came in second with 16.3 percent or 91 seats, followed by the Gerindra Party with 13.01 percent or 73 seats.

The Democratic Party came in fourth with 61 seats or 10.1 percent. The National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) got 8.8 percent or 49 seats and 8.4 percent or 47 seats, 
respectively.

The PKS, the United Development Party (PPP), the NasDem Party and the Hanura Party accounted for the remainder of the seats, with 40, 39, 35 and 16 seats, respectively.

The General Election Law stipulates that all 560 members of the new House will take their oath of office in October.