Indonesia' April 2009 legislative elections had special significance for the province of Aceh, where the Helsinki Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) of 2005 had marked an end to the 30-year separatist conflict between the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, GAM) and the Indonesian government. The 2009 elections were an important part of the peace process, as former GAM members were contesting power (in the form of provincial and district-level legislative seats) through democratic means. The MOU enabled the formation of local parties, and the Aceh Party (Partai Aceh, PA), the party formed to represent former GAM members, achieved a strong win in both the provincial and district-level elections.

The first goal of this chapter is to examine how PA achieved its impressive win, and the implications of its victory for peace in Aceh. Election implementation suffered from many problems and tensions but I argue that PA' win was legitimate and bodes well for continued peace. In its campaign efforts, PA benefited from the far-reaching and well-organised structure left behind by GAM. In addition, it managed to attract the votes of many people who had not previously supported GAM, primarily those who hoped that a win for PA would help sustain the peace in Aceh.

A second goal of the chapter is to treat the Aceh elections as a prism through which to view wider political processes in Indonesia. The participation of local parties and former rebels in the elections marked Aceh as different to the rest of Indonesia. However, in terms of the political dynamics that were influential in the province during the elections, Aceh had much in common with the rest of the country. One common phenomenon in Indonesian politics is a ‘service-based’ candidate–voter relationship whereby votes are cast as a reward for services rendered by a party or candidate. There is considerable evidence that many candidates and voters view voting in this way: as a reward, or payment, for services rendered, in an almost business-like transaction. Service-based voting is typical of a patronage-based democracy such as Indonesia', but it occurs in various forms. The services rendered may be short term or longer term, and may be provided either by individual candidates or by political parties.