Jakarta. Celebrities continue to captivate voters, making them prime candidates for political parties to endorse in legislative elections. As a result, at least 24 singers, actors, athletes, and social media personalities secured seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representative Council (DPD) following the February 14 elections.

Many of these celebrities have either been reelected or transitioned into politics well before this election. They will be among the 580 elected House members set to be inaugurated in October to serve until 2029.

One of the notable newcomers is comedian Denny Wahyudi, better known by his stage name Denny Cagur, a regular on BTV’s “Trik Talk” comedy show. Running with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), he garnered just over 58,000 votes in the West Java electoral district, securing a seat in the House.

Singer Once Mekel also made his political debut with PDI-P, winning a seat representing Jakarta. Similarly, fellow singer-turned-politician Melly Goeslaw clinched a House seat in her first attempt, running for the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) in West Java.

Several actors have now spent more time in politics than in their entertainment careers. Dede Yusuf, a former national taekwondo champion and a popular TV and movie actor in the late 1980s and 1990s, first won a House seat in 2004 with the National Mandate Party (PAN). After serving as the vice governor of West Java in 2008, he switched to the Democratic Party in 2014 and has since won four terms as a House member. In the most recent election, Dede received over 210,000 votes, the highest in his political career.

Veteran actor Rano Karno, known for his roles in romantic and comedy films of the 1970s and 1980s and as the director of the popular TV series “Si Doel Anak Sekolahan” (Doel the Educated Kid), ventured into politics by being elected as the vice regent of Tangerang in 2008. The PDI-P politician later became the vice governor of Banten in 2011 and ascended to the governorship in 2014 after incumbent Ratu Atut Chosiyah was imprisoned for corruption. He recently secured a House seat for PDI-P.

Musicians-turned-Gerindra politicians Dhani Ahmad Prasetyo and his wife Mulan Jameela will also be sworn in as lawmakers after winning seats in East Java and West Java, respectively.

Other well-known figures who won House seats include Rachel Maryam Sayidina, Desy Ratnasari, Iyeth Bustami, Eko Hendro Purnomo (Eko Patrio), Primus Yustisio, Sigit Purnomo (Pasha Ungu), Arzeti Bilbina, Junico Siahaan, Nurul Arifin, Verrell Bramasta, Nafa Urbach, Rieke Diah Pitaloka, Tommy Kurniawan, Dina Lorenza Audria, Ashraff Abu, and Moreno Soeprapto.

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