Political party survival: The Golongan Karya Party and electoral politics in Indonesia 1999--2009.

摘要

Why do some formerly dominant/ruling authoritarian parties survive electoral competition following the transition to democracy while others experience decline and may even disappear? A formerly dominant party is usually one of the discredited and disgraced political establishments from the repressive authoritarian regime, as this party shares regime failures and past abuses. Theoretically, this party faces fierce competition from new reformist parties, and it is highly possible that its electoral fate will diminish or even perish.;However, the Golongan Karya (Golkar) Party that was the backbone of the New Order authoritarian regime has been able to maintain its significance in Indonesian politics. The party won the second largest vote in the 1999 and 2009 elections and became the winner in the 2004 election. Because it no longer received supports from the military and bureaucracy, the party had maintained its electoral dominance across the country more or less through continuous party institutionalization, maintenance of party patronage network, and cultivation of party linkage.;Using an institutionalism approach and primary data from election results, party campaign finance reports, and socioeconomic data, this dissertation seeks to explain organizational factors and usable pasts that affect party electoral performance. Although there have been electoral system changes and the adoption of new institutions, such as direct presidential elections or local elections for electing governors, mayors, and district heads, the Golkar Party has been able to survive in the democratic era by winning many political offices in the national and local level to ensure its state capture. The Golkar Party has remained the most competitive party nationally, with a party nationalization score that is always higher than those of other major parties.