page_title: 1955 Indonesian legislative election
section_title: Preparations and polling day
hierarchical_section_title: 1955 Indonesian legislative election / Preparations and polling day
caption_attribution_description: President Sukarno voting in the 1955 Indonesian legislative election
context_page_description: Legislative elections were held in Indonesia on 29 September 1955, the first since independence. Candidates ran to be elected to the 257-seat People's Representative Council, which would replace the existing provisional legislature. Despite hopes that the elections would bring about political stability, the legislature elected only lasted four years before being dissolved by presidential decree.
context_section_description: Although in April 1954 the Central Electoral Committee had announced that the election would be held on 29 September the following year, by July and early August, preparations had fallen behind schedule The appointment of members of polling station committees planned to start on 1 August did not begin in many regions until 15 September. In his independence day address on 17 August, President Sukarno said that anybody putting obstacles in way of elections was a "traitor to the revolution". On 8 September, the information minister said that elections would be held on September 29 except in a few areas where preparations were not complete. Eventually, as a result of "feverish activity", polling station committees were ready on election day.
  In the run up to polling day, rumors spread, including a widespread poisoning scare in Java. There was also hoarding of goods. In many parts of country there was a spontaneous and unannounced curfew for several nights before polling day.
  On polling day itself, many voters were waiting to cast their ballot by 7 am.  The day was peaceful as people realized nothing bad was going to happen.  A total of 87.65% of voters cast a valid vote and 91.54% voted.  Allowing for deaths between registration and polling, only about 6% did not vote.
caption: President Sukarno casting his vote on polling day
exif: {}