DEMOCRACY WITHOUT ALTERNATIVES: ELECTORAL HEGEMONY, VOTER RESISTANCE, AND THE REPRESENTATION CRISIS IN THE SINGLE-CANDIDATE ELECTION OF MAROS REGENCY

Abstract

This study analyzes the 2024 local election (Pilkada) in Maros Regency, which featured only a single candidate pair, as a critical case reflecting the crisis of local democracy in Indonesia. Utilizing a transcendental phenomenological approach and thematic analysis of qualitative data, this research explores the formation of electoral hegemony, manifestations of voter resistance, and the crisis of representation in a non-competitive political setting. The total consolidation of political parties in support of the incumbent, absence of leadership regeneration, and high rates of blank votes and abstention reflect a weakening of pluralism and a substantive democratic deficit. Findings reveal that voters are not apathetic, but instead engage in symbolic political expression by supporting the blank column and forming independent volunteer movements. The blank column functions as a channel of resistance against a system lacking representative options, while grassroots movements embody alternative forms of civic engagement in constrained democratic spaces. This study evaluates minimalist, maximalist, classical, and institutional theories of democracy to understand the tension between procedural legality and substantive legitimacy. While the election complied with legal frameworks, the absence of competition and declining participation undermines political representation and electoral credibility. The key implication of this study is the urgent need for systemic reform of local political institutions, including nomination rules, party internal democratization, and civic education focused on empowerment. The Maros case illustrates not only a stagnation of local democracy but also the transformative potential of civil resistance. Institutional reform and the revitalization of representative channels are essential to restore democratic integrity and legitimacy at the subnational level in Indonesia.