Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Village head elections (Pilkades) represent the most direct form of local democracy in Indonesia, where legal frameworks and political practices intersect to shape leadership legitimacy.
Purpose: This study examines the legal and political dynamics underlying the Pilkades dispute in Parigi Village, Takkalala District, Wajo Regency, South Sulawesi, focusing on how legal mechanisms interact with local political power.
Methods: Employing a qualitative socio-legal case study approach, data were collected from February to July 2024 through interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis involving election officials, candidates, legal practitioners, and community figures.
Originality: This research contributes to the understanding of how law and politics are interwoven in decentralized democracies, emphasizing the need for impartial legal mechanisms and stronger community-based oversight to safeguard substantive village democracy .
Keywords
Article Details
Copyright (c) 2026 DIKTUM: Jurnal Syariah dan Hukum
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
- Aspinall, E. (2017). Vote buying in Indonesia: Candidate strategies, market logic, and effectiveness. Journal of East Asian Studies, 17(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1017/jea.2016.33
- Aspinall, E. (2025). Democratic localism and elite competition in post-Reformasi Indonesia. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 47(2), 145–168.
- Banakar, R., & Travers, M. (2020). Law and social theory (2nd ed.). Oxford: Hart Publishing.
- Bedner, A., & Vel, J. (2023). Legal pluralism and local governance: Negotiating state and customary law in Indonesia’s villages. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 24(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/14442213.2022.2164691
- Berenschot, W. (2018). A comparative study of Indonesia’s patronage democracy. Democratization, 25(4), 708–726. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2017.1419196
- Berenschot, W. (2019). Explaining regional variation in local governance: Clientelism and state capacity in Indonesia. World Development, 122, 233–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.05.010
- Berenschot, W. (2021). A quiet revolution? Village head elections and the new regime of village governance in Indonesia. South East Asia Research, 29(2), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/0967828X.2021.1871852
- Buehler, M. (2018). Dynamism beats dynasties in Indonesia’s local elections. East Asia Forum, 10(2), 9–12.
- Buehler, M. (2022). Clientelism and the rule of law in Indonesia’s decentralized politics. Pacific Affairs, 95(4), 673–698. https://doi.org/10.5509/2022954673
- Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Hadiz, V. R., & Robison, R. (2022). Reorganizing power in Indonesia: The politics of oligarchy in an age of democracy. Critical Asian Studies, 54(3), 421–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2022.2032183
- Haryanto, S. (2023). Procedural democracy and political oligarchy in Indonesia’s local elections. Asian Journal of Political Science, 31(1), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185377.2023.2174031
- Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Sari, L. (2024). The limits of local power: Business, political conflict, and urban governance in Makassar. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 43(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/18681034241266009
- Silverman, D. (2020). Interpreting qualitative data (6th ed.). London: Sage.
- Vel, J., & Bedner, A. (2021). Law, power, and village governance in Indonesia: Beyond formalism. World Development, 147, 105661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105661
- Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- Zainuddin, M., Hasan, M., & Rahman, N. (2025). The neutrality of local governments in village head election disputes. Indonesian Journal of Law and Society, 6(1), 33–49.
References
Aspinall, E. (2017). Vote buying in Indonesia: Candidate strategies, market logic, and effectiveness. Journal of East Asian Studies, 17(1), 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1017/jea.2016.33
Aspinall, E. (2025). Democratic localism and elite competition in post-Reformasi Indonesia. Contemporary Southeast Asia, 47(2), 145–168.
Banakar, R., & Travers, M. (2020). Law and social theory (2nd ed.). Oxford: Hart Publishing.
Bedner, A., & Vel, J. (2023). Legal pluralism and local governance: Negotiating state and customary law in Indonesia’s villages. The Asia Pacific Journal of Anthropology, 24(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/14442213.2022.2164691
Berenschot, W. (2018). A comparative study of Indonesia’s patronage democracy. Democratization, 25(4), 708–726. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2017.1419196
Berenschot, W. (2019). Explaining regional variation in local governance: Clientelism and state capacity in Indonesia. World Development, 122, 233–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.05.010
Berenschot, W. (2021). A quiet revolution? Village head elections and the new regime of village governance in Indonesia. South East Asia Research, 29(2), 123–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/0967828X.2021.1871852
Buehler, M. (2018). Dynamism beats dynasties in Indonesia’s local elections. East Asia Forum, 10(2), 9–12.
Buehler, M. (2022). Clientelism and the rule of law in Indonesia’s decentralized politics. Pacific Affairs, 95(4), 673–698. https://doi.org/10.5509/2022954673
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hadiz, V. R., & Robison, R. (2022). Reorganizing power in Indonesia: The politics of oligarchy in an age of democracy. Critical Asian Studies, 54(3), 421–440. https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2022.2032183
Haryanto, S. (2023). Procedural democracy and political oligarchy in Indonesia’s local elections. Asian Journal of Political Science, 31(1), 55–74. https://doi.org/10.1080/02185377.2023.2174031
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Sari, L. (2024). The limits of local power: Business, political conflict, and urban governance in Makassar. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 43(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/18681034241266009
Silverman, D. (2020). Interpreting qualitative data (6th ed.). London: Sage.
Vel, J., & Bedner, A. (2021). Law, power, and village governance in Indonesia: Beyond formalism. World Development, 147, 105661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105661
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Zainuddin, M., Hasan, M., & Rahman, N. (2025). The neutrality of local governments in village head election disputes. Indonesian Journal of Law and Society, 6(1), 33–49.