"What is not negotiable is first, the number of debates will be three times for the presidential candidates and two times for the vice presidential candidates. So, the total is five times, just like 2019 (presidential election)," he informed.
He conveyed the information at a discussion on the "Views of the Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates on Environmental and Climate Change Issues in the 2024 General Elections," which was held in a hybrid offline and online format here on Thursday.
Afifuddin said that the presidential and vice presidential candidate debates for the upcoming election campaign period have been adjusted to follow the 2019 presidential election.
He added that the preparations for the debates are not yet 100 percent final because the KPU still needs to discuss them with the teams of each candidate pair.
The KPU has not yet determined the presidential and vice presidential candidates who will participate in the 2024 presidential election.
According to Afifuddin, the debates will not only take place in Jakarta but also possibly in other cities.
"We are currently thinking about it, but we definitely have to coordinate whether there is an objection from each candidate, for example, if we propose a city outside Jakarta, whether there is an objection or not," he said.
He added that environmental issues will most likely be one of the main issues in the debates.
The KPU has received the registration of three presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs for the 2024 presidential election, namely Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar, Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD, and Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
The commission has scheduled the election campaign period from November 28, 2023, to February 10, 2024. Meanwhile, the voting will take place on February 14, 2024.
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Translator: Hendri Sukma, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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