Presidentialization party in Indonesia: The impact of executive and legislative relations in local cases

This article examines local party presidentialization in Indonesia and its implications for executive–legislative relations at the local level. Drawing on comparative case studies of East Java (2018), West Sumatra (2020), and North Sulawesi (2020), it shows that direct local elections (Pilkada) have intensified executive personalization, but not in a uniform way. The article identifies three pathways which are outsider-based personalization in East Java, where Khofifah Indar Parawansa relied on Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama and personal networks; party-mediated personalization in West Sumatra, where Mahyeldi's authority was shaped by Prosperous Justice Party organization and legislative fragmentation; and party-centered personalization in North Sulawesi, where Olly Dondokambey's authority was embedded in Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle dominance. These variations produce different executive–legislative patterns: tension, bargaining, and accommodation. The article contributes to presidentialization theory by showing how party strength, sociocultural networks, and legislative configuration mediate executive authority in subnational politics.