If it happens on May 15, of course there are some considerations that we will tell in the consignment meeting before hearing meeting. We will do it step by stepJakarta (ANTARA) - Lately, images of politicians have cropped up everywhere on the streets. Banners and billboards showing political candidates striking similar poses, their party colors in the background, greet drivers, riders, or public transport passengers at traffic stops as they wait for the light to turn green.
All the usual signs that a political year is approaching have manifested. Even though there are still two years to go for the elections, in the political realm, they are just like the blink of an eye.
Indonesia will hold a general election in 2024 when the five-year term of the present cabinet ends. The elections will be held to select not only the President and Vice President, but also members of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), and the Regional Representative Council (DPD).
Hence, the general election, locally known as “Pemilu”, is called a party of democracy, with many candidates beginning to woo voters long before voting day.
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The government has proposed that the 2024 election be held on May 15, 2024, based on an internal meeting attended by President Joko Widodo, Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, State Secretary Minister Pratikno, Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister, Mahfud MD, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, National Police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, and National Intelligence chief Budi Gunawan at the Presidential palace.
At the meeting, Mahfud said the government has conducted a simulation on the dates of elections, including the Presidential and legislative elections, in 2024.
“There are four options for dates: April 24, May 15, and May 8 or May 6,” he informed.
After the simulation and deliberations on shortening election activities for more efficient use of time and budget, slashing the campaign period, and narrowing the gap between voting and the Presidential inauguration, the government finally chose May 15 as the date of 2024 election, he said.
“The date is deemed the most rational one to be proposed to the General Elections Commission (KPU) and House of Representatives (DPR) before October 7, 2021,” Mahfud noted.
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The government also considered the possibility of trials at the Constitutional Court (MK) due to potential disputes and a second round of elections, he said.
“We have calculated the religious and national public holidays. Therefore, May 15 is considered rational according to the government,” he stressed.
The KPU had proposed February 21 as the election date, but it was rejected due to the long gap between the election and the inauguration, according to the minister, who is also a former MK Judge.
“It will be too long backwards and forwards, meaning that the election stages will last for 20 months and we will wait for too long a time for the Presidential inauguration, from February to October,” he expounded.
Meanwhile, KPU chairman Ilham Saputra said the agency is reviewing the government’s proposal for holding elections on May 15 by referring to the existing law and regulations.
Several considerations need to be taken into account for stipulating the election date based on the law and regulations, he added.
“If it happens on May 15, of course there are some considerations that we will tell in the consignment meeting before hearing meeting. We will do it step by step,” Saputra said.
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Mixed response
Political parties have had a mixed response to the government’s proposed election date.
Golkar Party has confirmed that it supports the government’s proposal to hold the 2024 election on May 15.
“Golkar is in line with the government’s proposal,” Golkar Party’s central board deputy chairman, Ahmad Doli Kurnia, affirmed.
Referring to the statement of Golkar Party chairman Airlangga Hartarto, all meeting members, including the chairman, have agreed with the government’s proposal for holding the election on May 15, 2024, he informed.
However, Commission II of the House of Representatives has not yet taken a stand regarding the election schedule, he said.
“We need to discuss about it in the consignment meeting first,” he noted.
In contrast, the United Development Party (PPP) has said it does not fully agree with the government’s proposal.
“We do not fully agree with the government’s proposal that the election be held on May 15, 2024. However, we laud the proposal and it has to be approved first by the House of Representatives and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu),” PPP’s central board chairman, Achmad Baidowi, said.
As a political party, PPP should be ready no matter when the election is conducted and it is not wise if the party only sees things from the perspective of the election members, according to Baidowi.
A series of 2024 general elections will be soon followed by the regional election in November in 2024, he noted.
“If the Presidential election is held in May, the gap between the election and regional election will only be six months, so they will clash. Then, if the Presidential election is done in two rounds, it will take time, not including the dispute that potentially emerges at the Constitutional Court (MK),” he expounded.
According to Law No.10 of 2016 on Regional Elections, the requirements for electing the regional head candidates should be referred to for the 2024 general election result, he added.
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Hence, the more rational option is moving the schedule of the 2024 election to March or at least April, not pushing it back to May, he said.
Elections to the Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) should not take place alongside the Presidential and parliamentary elections, Titi Anggrarini, member of the supervisory board of the election watchdog Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), said.
"We hope the next (2024) DPRD election will be separated from the elections for the president, the House of Representatives (DPR), and the Regional Representative Council (DPD) members," she noted.
Voters and local electoral organizers would be overwhelmed if the DPRD election takes place at the same time as the Presidential, DPR, and DPD elections, Anggraini explained.
The holding of simultaneous elections for the national and regional executives and the legislative assembly has been cited as a major challenge for the 2024 elections, and simplification to address the issue is necessary, she added.
According to research conducted by Perludem, to ensure the proper functioning of the open-list representation system adopted by Indonesia, elections to various government offices should not be packed into one election and the size of electoral districts should not be too large, she said.
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Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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