Institutional Transformation and Electoral Pragmatism in Indonesian Islamic Organisations

A Synthetic Review of the Nahdlatul Wathan Case in West Nusa Tenggara

Abstract

This article examines how Nahdlatul Wathan (NW), a pesantren-based Islamic organisation in West Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia, has transformed from a religious educational institution into an electoral actor since 2004. It asks how this reflects tensions between religious authority and electoral pragmatism in post-1998 Indonesia, and what conditions enable or constrain pesantren-based organisations to maintain religious legitimacy while competing electorally. Using institutional logics theory and postdigital theory, the article presents a qualitative synthetic review of published scholarship, policy documents
and digital discourse patterns (38 sources, 2000–2026). The synthesis identifies three mechanisms: elite leadership combining religious and political capital; activation of social networks as electoral infrastructure; and follower interpretive frameworks reconciling organisational multiplexity. NW’s electoral success appears contingent on perceived consistency between leaders’ religious principles and political conduct, while organisational multiplexity risks becoming a democratic liability when followers perceive elite capture.