Constitutional Democracy under Strain: Institutional Capture and Electoral Authoritarian Tendencies in Indonesia’s 2024 Presidential Election

Abstract

Background The persistence of democratic elections does not necessarily guarantee the preservation of substantive democracy. Although Indonesia’s constitutional framework establishes presidential elections as a mechanism for exercising popular sovereignty through direct, competitive, and periodic elections, recent electoral developments have raised concerns regarding institutional independence, political equality, and the integrity of electoral competition. The 2024 presidential election provides an important context for examining how democratic institutions may be weakened through formal legal and institutional mechanisms while maintaining the appearance of democratic legitimacy. Methods This study employs a normative juridical approach combined with conceptual and case-based analysis. The research examines constitutional provisions, electoral regulations, Constitutional Court decisions, official state documents, and relevant scholarly literature concerning electoral authoritarianism, competitive authoritarianism, democratic backsliding, and institutional capture. The collected materials are analyzed descriptively and analytically to identify the mechanisms through which institutional arrangements and political power relations influence electoral competition in Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election. Results The study demonstrates that electoral authoritarian tendencies in Indonesia operate not through the elimination of elections, but through the gradual distortion of democratic institutions and processes. Institutional capture is reflected in the reinterpretation of presidential candidacy requirements, the politicization of state resources, particularly social assistance programs, the weakening of electoral management institutions, and the consolidation of dominant political coalitions that limit effective opposition. These dynamics have contributed to an uneven electoral playing field and weakened the capacity of elections to function as instruments of democratic accountability. Conclusions The study concludes that Indonesia’s 2024 presidential election illustrates a pattern of democratic erosion in which formal electoral procedures remain intact while substantive democratic principles are increasingly constrained. Protecting constitutional democracy requires strengthening institutional independence, ensuring neutrality in the use of state resources, restoring effective checks and balances, and reinforcing the resilience of electoral institutions against political capture.