<![CDATA[This article analyzes the deepening trajectory of competitive authoritarianism in Indonesia following the 2024 election, emphasizing the systematic erosion of checks and balances through three interrelated patterns of power consolidation. First, the formation of an oversized legislative coalition has transformed the parliament into an extension of the executive, eliminating effective opposition and reducing oversight mechanisms to political formalities. Second, the regime’s increasing control over media, digital space, and civil society reflects a shift toward digital authoritarianism, where narrative management, institutionalized disinformation, and selective repression create an uneven playing field while maintaining the façade of democratic procedures. Third, the militarization of civilian governance, marked by the strategic placement of military elites in key ministries and the expansion of territorial command structures, signals a progressive blurring of boundaries between civilian authority and military influence. Using a qualitative-descriptive method supported by process tracing, this study demonstrates that Indonesia’s democratic backsliding is neither incidental nor temporary, but structurally produced through legal engineering, patronage-based co-optation, and normalization of executive hegemony. The findings highlight how democratic institutions persist formally but lose substantive autonomy, functioning primarily to legitimize rather than limit state power. The post-2024 configuration thus embodies a unitary executive model strengthened by media dominance, hegemonic coalition-building, and securitization of governance. This article argues that Indonesia is entering a critical juncture: without institutional reform and reinvigoration of civic resistance, competitive authoritarianism may harden into a new authoritarian order cloaked in democratic rituals.]]>
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