Subverted Polls and Surrogate Candidates

Scheduled for December 9 this year, local elections may be deferred to 2017 if, by next week, only one candidate is registered to run, as in the case of Surabaya's mayoral election. By law, if that happens, the next election can only take place two years later.

The unchallenged candidate is Surabaya's incumbent mayor, Tri Rismaharini. Nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), surveys indicate she would be a shoo-in. A longtime bureaucrat, she is not and never was a party person. In fact, political parties, including the PDI-P have little sympathy for her. But Surabayans love and respect her, so the PDI-P has no choice but to nominate Risma as Tri Rismaharini is better known.