During the cooling-off period, all candidate pairs, campaign teams, volunteers and supporters must refrain from any activities considered as campaigning activities.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Over 40 million eligible voters are expected to go to polling stations in 101 regions across Indonesia for the upcoming regional head elections, or locally called pilkada, which will take place simultaneously on Feb 15, 2017.

A total of 337 pairs of candidates will be competing for gubernatorial seats in seven provinces, namely Jakarta, Aceh, Banten, Bangka Belitung, Gorontalo, West Papua and West Sulawesi; mayoral seats in 18 municipalities; and district heads in 76 districts.

According to information from the General Elections Commission (KPU), which executes the simultaneous pilkada, the elections need at least 45.59 million pieces of ballot papers.

Of the total, over 22.91 million pieces are for voters in district head and mayoral elections and 22.67 million for voters in governors (provincial head) elections.

The hustle and bustle of the elections during the campaigning period (from Oct 28, 2016 to Feb 11, 2017) will end soon and a cooling-off period will be imposed from Feb 11 to 14, 2017, to give voters a chance to contemplate on who to vote as their future leaders.

During the cooling-off period, all candidate pairs, campaign teams, volunteers and supporters must refrain from any activities considered as campaigning activities.

Local election commissions have asked the candidates to remove all banners and other campaigning materials in public places.

The Internet accounts of the candidates must be closed down during the cooling-off period.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto has urged the public to abide by the regulations during the cooling-off period.

The police will take action against those violating the provisions set for the cooling-off period, he added.

"The KPU will explain the conditions that must be adhered to. Any violations will attract action by the police," he said recently.

Elaborating the need for a cooling-off period, Wiranto said such a phase of calm is required after a long campaign for any election, so that people can think again on whom they should vote for.

"Let the people contemplate before they finally decide on who will be their best leaders for the next five years," he added.

He suggested that clear rules must be formulated, so that the people understand the actions they might face if the cooling-off period is disrupted.

Any rally held during this period would be viewed as an attempt to violate the rules, he warned.

A similar call was also voiced by Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo who urged every stakeholder to maintain a conducive situation during the cooling-off period.

"The government has urged all public elements to maintain a conducive situation during the cooling-off week," the minister noted in a short text message on Feb 7.

Hoping that the elections would be held democratically, the minister also called on the public to help make the simultaneous local elections successful.

According to the election supervising agency Bawaslu, West Papua Province and Papua are considered the most vulnerable in terms of election-related disruptions, followed by Aceh, Banten, West Sulawesi, Jakarta, Bangka-Belitung and Gorontalo.

The Jakarta pilkada implementation is crucial, because it is seen as a barometer for pilkada in other regions and hence should be carried out in an orderly and safe manner.

For that purpose, Chairman of the Jakarta Election Commission (KPU) Sumarno has urged the candidates of the Jakarta regional head elections to abide by the regulations during the cooling-off period by not campaigning.

He made the statement after attending a coordinating meeting with the Jakarta Police, the Jakarta Military Command, the acting Jakarta Governor, and chairman of the Jakarta Election Supervisory Office.

As for Papua, Governor Lukas Enembe has expressed hope that the regional head elections, to be held simultaneously in 11 districts and cities in Papua Province, would run peacefully.

"We hope they run normally and in line with the prevailing regulations, so it would not affect the public," Enembe stated in Jayapura on Feb 6.

The governor has also called on the police and military personnel to adopt a neutral stance during the elections.

He also urged the military and police to ensure security and order in several crime-prone regions, such as districts of Puncak Jaya, Lanny Jaya and Nduga, where armed separatists are in hiding.

At least 4 thousand security personnel will be deployed to guard the implementation of pilkada in 11 districts and cities in Papua.

The personnel will comprise military and police officers from the headquarters in Jakarta, Papua Police Chief Inspector General Paulus Waterpauw stated at a meeting held to discuss the security issues during the pilkada recently.

The upcoming simultaneous pilkada is the second election. The first one was held peacefully in 264 regions in 32 provinces, out of the countrys 34 provinces, on Dec 9, 2015. (*)

Reporter: fFardah
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017