Decentralization of Political Parties to Improve Internal Party Democracy in Indonesia
Abstract
Decentralization in political parties has become an important topic in contemporary political studies, as it is believed to strengthen internal party democracy and encourage broader member involvement in decision-making. This study aims to explore how decentralization can play a role in enhancing internal democracy within political parties. The main focus of this research is to identify the factors that cause centralization in political parties, how decentralization can increase member participation in decision-making, and the impact of decentralization on the quality of internal democracy in political parties. The approach used in this study is descriptive qualitative research with a case study on several political parties in Indonesia that have implemented or are considering implementing decentralization. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with party leaders at both central and regional levels, party cadres, as well as political experts. Additionally, an analysis of the internal party documents was conducted. The analysis aims to provide a deeper understanding of the implementation of decentralization and its impact on the internal dynamics of political parties. The results of the study show that decentralization has the potential to increase member participation in decision-making processes that are more inclusive and responsive to local conditions. Respondents indicated that decentralization opens up more space for regional cadres to present ideas and make decisions that are more relevant to local community needs. However, the main challenge identified in this study is the issue of oversight and management, which could lead to fragmentation within the party's structure. This indicates that while decentralization has significant potential, its implementation must be carried out carefully to avoid risks that could harm party unity. This study concludes that decentralization can improve internal democracy within political parties, provided that an effective communication system between the central and regional levels exists, as well as adequate supervision to prevent the abuse of power. This research makes a significant contribution to the development of democratization theory in political parties in Indonesia and can serve as a reference for political parties that seek to implement a more effective decentralization structure.
References
Ali, S. A. M., & Mufti, M. (2021). Political Parties and Decentralization in Pakistan. Publius the Journal of Federalism, 52(2), 201–224. https://doi.org/10.1093/publius/pjab037
Andersen, J., & Trondal, J. (2024). From Exclusion to Establishment: Organizational Birthmarks and Imprinting Within Populist Parties. Scandinavian Political Studies, 47(2), 260–281. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9477.12272
Aragón, P., Gallego, H., Laniado, D., Volkovich, Y., & Kaltenbrunner, A. (2017). Online Network Organization of Barcelona en Comú, an Emergent Movement-Party. Computational Social Networks, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40649-017-0044-4
Bai, J. (2024). The Logic of the Historical Evolution of Rosa Luxemburg’s Idea of “Self-Centralization.” Journal of Sociology and Ethnology, 6(2), 127-133. https://doi.org/10.23977/jsoce.2024.060219
Bruhn, K., & Wuhs, S. T. (2016). Competition, Decentralization, and Candidate Selection in Mexico. American Behavioral Scientist, 60(7), 819–836. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764216632821
Caiani, M., Padoan, E., & Marino, B. (2021). Candidate Selection, Personalization and Different Logics of Centralization in New Southern European Populism: The Cases of Podemos and the M5S. Government and Opposition, 57(3), 404–427. https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2021.9
Chiru, M. (2024). Clientelism, Party Organization and Intra-Party Democracy. Comparative Political Studies, 58(4), 680–713. https://doi.org/10.1177/00104140241252082
Craig, P. (2016). Pressure and Politics in a Decentralized Candidate Selection System. American Behavioral Scientist, 60(7), 799–818. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764216632819
Eng, N. (2016). Decentralization in Cambodia: New Wine in Old Bottles. Public Administration and Development, 36(4), 250–262. https://doi.org/10.1002/pad.1765
Gaol, J. L., Muryanto, M., & Kusmanto, H. (2022). Demokratisasi Dan Desentralisasi Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan Dalam Pemilukada Provinsi Sumatera Utara Tahun 2018. Perspektif, 11(1), 333–354. https://doi.org/10.31289/perspektif.v11i1.5637
Höhne, B. (2021). How Democracy Works Within a Populist Party: Candidate Selection in the Alternative for Germany. Government and Opposition, 58(3), 478–496. https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2021.33
Höhne, B. (2024). The Experimental Catch-Up Democratization of Intra-Party Leadership Selection in Germany. German Politics & Society, 42(1), 61–87. https://doi.org/10.3167/gps.2024.420103
Kamenova, V. (2021). Internal Democracy in Populist Right Parties: The Process of Party Policy Development in the Alternative for Germany. European Political Science Review, 13(4), 488–505. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1755773921000217
Kim, Y. (2024). The Development of Party Organizations in New Democracies. Oxford University Press, 19, 401–426. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198888734.003.0019
Konak, İ. (2022). İtalyan Beş Yildiz Hareketi̇ Üzeri̇ne Bi̇r Değerlendi̇rme. Bingöl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 24, 424–440. https://doi.org/10.29029/busbed.1117977
Koskimaa, V. (2021). The Weight of the Past: Political Parties’ ‘Genetic’ Heritage and the Ease of Their Organizational Professionalization. Government and Opposition, 58(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1017/gov.2021.22
Mikucka-Wójtowicz, D. (2024). Intra-Party Democracy: Patterns of Change. Teoria Polityki, 10, 81–92. https://doi.org/10.4467/25440845tp.24.004.20596
Morgan, J. (2022). Political Decentralization and Party Decay in Latin America. Latin American Research Review, 53(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.25222/larr.255
Nwobu, G., Nwanegbo, C. J., & Onu, G. (2024). Strengthening Inclusive Local Participation Through Decentralized Party Organization: Insights From Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC), 2015 –2023. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1318.v1
Nwobu, G., Onu, G., & Nwanegbo, C. J. (2024). Assessing the Impact of Decentralized Party Structures on Membership Stability in Nigeria: A Study of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC), 2015–2023. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202410.1158.v1
Pinzolits, R. F. J. (2023). Intraparty Communication and Permeability in the Spö From the Perspective of Local Political Actors. South Eastern European Journal of Communication, 5(1), 79–86. https://doi.org/10.47960/2712-0457.2023.1.5.79
Rahat, G. (2022). Party Types in the Age of Personalized Politics. Perspectives on Politics, 22(1), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1537592722000366
Raniolo, F., & Tarditi, V. (2019). Digital Revolution and Party Innovations: An Analysis of the Spanish Case. Italian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana Di Scienza Politica, 50(2), 235–253. https://doi.org/10.1017/ipo.2019.27
Rodríguez, R. P., Rosenblatt, F., & Vommaro, G. (2025). Activating Without Transforming: The Use of Technology to Engage Activists in Political Campaigns. Latin American Politics and Society, 67(3), 69–84. https://doi.org/10.1017/lap.2025.6
Samsidar, S. (2025). Dynamics of Democracy in Indonesia: A Literature Review of the Role of Political Parties in Democratic Consolidation. Nawala Education, 2(3), 48–55. https://doi.org/10.62872/e08bms38
Sandri, G., Seddone, A., & Venturino, F. (2019). When Charisma Is No Longer Enough. Insights on Populist Parties’ Leadership From the (Northern) League. Polish Political Science Review, 7(1), 80–95. https://doi.org/10.2478/ppsr-2019-0005
Shrestha, K., Martínez-Vázquez, J., & Hankla, C. R. (2022). Political Decentralization and Corruption: Exploring the Conditional Role of Parties. Economics and Politics, 35(1), 411–439. https://doi.org/10.1111/ecpo.12222
Silva, F. F. d. (2019). Party Organizational Change and Leader Effects on Voting Behavior: Linking the Electoral and Party Faces of Presidentialization. Party Politics, 27(4), 803–813. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354068819893511
Solikhin, A. (2017a). Menimbang Pentingnya Desentralisasi Partai Politik Di Indonesia. Journal of Governance, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.31506/jog.v2i1.2120
Ugarriza, J. E., Quishpe, R., Acuña, D. C., & Salazar, M. A. (2023). Transitioning Guerrillas: An Analysis of the Internal Cohesion of the Former FARC in Their Transit From War to Democracy. Latin American Politics and Society, 66(3), 79–106. https://doi.org/10.1017/lap.2023.37
Vandeleene, A., & Haute, É. V. (2021). A Comparative Analysis of Selection Criteria of Candidates in Belgium. Frontiers in Political Science, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpos.2021.777747
Zons, G., & Halstenbach, A. (2019). The AfD as a ‚Leaderless’ Right-Wing Populist Party. How the Leadership-Structure Dilemma Left an Imprint on the Party’s Leadership. Polish Political Science Review, 7(1), 41–60. https://doi.org/10.2478/ppsr-2019-0003
Copyright (c) 2026 Guasman Tatawu, La Ode Abul Mufakhir, La Patuju, Khabiirun Khabiirun, Edy Samiel, La Ode Zumail
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
