Democracy Vulnerable Without Strengthened Election Supervisory Institutions |

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Improving the quality of democracy in Indonesia still requires election supervisory institutions amidst various national and global democratic challenges. There are democratic anomalies characterized by the rise of political bourgeoisie, the arrogance of officials, and a democratic deficit that has led to the emergence of a new autocracy.

This was conveyed by Malikussaleh University academic Dr. Teuku Kemal Fasya, M.Hum., in a public discussion entitled "Strengthening Institutions in Developing Election Supervisory Strategies" held by the North Aceh Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) at the North Aceh Regional Secretariat Hall, Lhoksukon, on Monday, September 29, 2025.

According to Teuku Kemal, the dynamics of global and national democracy are currently facing serious challenges, including democratic anomalies characterized by the rise of political bourgeoisie, the arrogance of officials, and a democratic deficit that has led to the emergence of a new autocracy.

"Democracy should free society from absolutism and state ideology, but instead it often slips into arrogant bureaucracy and populist practices," he explained.

Teuku Kemal also touched on the wave of revolutions in several countries, such as Nepal, Iran, and the United States. He argued that democracy that fails to meet the people's aspirations will give rise to resistance. He also reminded Indonesia's younger generation to remain critical of the potential weakening of democracy due to political polarization, the rise of post-truth, and the demise of expertise.

Reviewing the 2024 Election, Teuku Kemal emphasized that the national voter turnout rate reached 81.48 percent, while Aceh's was higher at 87.01 percent. However, Aceh also recorded one of the highest numbers of violations, with 190 findings since 2022.

"Unfortunately, many criminal violations cannot be prosecuted because the election participants' teams are more courageous than the supervisors," Kemal criticized.

Furthermore, he assessed that Bawaslu and Panwaslih must take a more prominent role than merely equal partners of the KPU. "The strategy is to strengthen technical guidelines and operational procedures, strengthen transparency and accountability, digitize election results, and establish an Election Court Body," he explained.

He also warned that political parties should not become "kindergartens" that ignore democratic principles. "Supervisory institutions must be able to maintain the quality of democracy while overseeing the political process to ensure it remains healthy."

Furthermore, Teuku Kemal emphasized the need to involve millennials and Gen-Z in election oversight. He believes that young people need to be given the opportunity to assess the performance of supervisory institutions. "They are the vanguard in safeguarding democracy in the digital era," he concluded.[]

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