The Pilkada was held on December 9, 2020 in 270 regions across Indonesia and it went off safely, peacefully, and under the observance of health protocols.
"In general, the 2020 simultaneous Pilkada was successfully held in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The peak of the implementation was safe, peaceful, and adhering to health protocols," Gaus, a PAN politician, remarked here on Tuesday.
He said the voter turnout of 75.83 percent exceeded the turnout in the previous three Pilkada organized during non-pandemic times.
The voter turnout was 69.2 percent in the 2015 Pilkada, 74.5 percent in the 2017 Pilkada, and 73.2 percent in the 2018 Pilkada, he noted.
"In addition, it (the voter turnout for 2020) is also higher than the number of voters who cast their votes in the United States elections on November 3, 2020, notably 66.9 percent, 66 percent in the French elections on June 28, 2020, and 66.2 percent in the South Korean elections on April 15, 2020," he informed.
According to him, the high voter turnout in the 2020 Pilkada shows that Indonesia is one of the largest democracies in the world and has proven that Indonesian voters are loyal and cooperative in supporting the democratic agenda.
He said the successful implementation of the 2020 Pilkada is proof that the Indonesian people are capable of carrying out a democratic agenda in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Initially, many people were skeptical of the simultaneous regional elections and suggested to postpone it, at least until mid-2021 when the COVID-19 pandemic is predicted to be more controllable," he observed.
He said he was pleased that there were no Pilkada clusters of COVID transmission, thanks to the hard work of the KPU (General Elections Commission), Bawaslu (Election Supervisory Board), the Ministry of Home Affairs, the regional governments, the TNI-Polri personnel, the COVID-19 task force, and all related parties.
He said he believed that socialization and public compliance in implementing the health protocols with discipline were key to the successful implementation of the 2020 Pilkada. (INE)
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EDITED BY INE
Translator: Imam Budilaksono, Fardah
Editor: Suharto
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