A pro-independence movement in Indonesia’s easternmost province of Papua is slowly simmering with recent attacks by armed assailants in the wake of gubernatorial elections in the country last Wednesday. Papua, was formerly a Dutch-controlled colony and had since been annexed by Indonesia in 1963. However, strong separationist sentiments still prevail on the Indonesian half of the island and the freshly concluded elections there served as a catalyst for this recent spate of violence.

Tomorrow, the world’s third-largest democracy, Indonesia will head to the polls. The regional elections – locally known as the Pemilihan Kepala Daerah or Pilkada for short – will take place in 171 regions throughout the country. Over 152 million voters across Indonesia will elect their governors, regents and mayors, for 17 provinces, 115 regencies and 39 cities.

Indonesia’s most populous province is set to go to the polls in what’s shaping up as a test of President Joko Widodo’s popularity and a potential springboard for his rivals ahead of next year’s presidential election.More than 30 million people are expected to vote in West Java’s gubernatorial election Wednesday in a contest between two former generals, the sitting deputy governor and the provincial capital’s popular mayor.