The Dilemma of High-Cost Politics: Examining Its Impact on Candidate’s Economic Security in Simultaneous Elections in Indonesia

Hendy Setiawan (Ilmu Pemerintahan FISIP Universitas Selamat Sri)
Galang Sandy Akbar (Departement Public Administration, Universitas Gadjah Mada)
Aditya Putra (Analisis Fiskal Kementerian Keuangan Republik Indonesia)
Yendra Erison (Ilmu Pemerintahan FISIP Universitas Islam Darul 'Ulum Lamongan)
Wihda Maulani (Universitas Selamat Sri)

Journal of Governance
Volume 10 Issue 4: (2025)

The purpose of this article is to discuss the high political costs of winning an election from an economic security perspective. Economic security issues experienced by political contestants have rarely been studied. This research is qualitative and based on literature study. This research departs from a political phenomenon that demands dynamic financial mobility for donations and party campaigns in simultaneous general elections in Indonesia. As a result of this difficult situation, economic insecurity among candidates has become a new problem that has not yet received attention from election organizers. The results of the analysis show that the high costs of winning an election are partly due to the birth of a candidate-centered political system. The burden of political financing makes candidates economically insecure. Our analysis also shows that campaign financing policies can be an alternative in overcoming the issue of high political costs.