"There have been regulations that determined the exact period for candidates to conduct their campaign," Bawaslu commissioner Puadi stated here on Saturday.
The commissioner's remarks were made in response to some prospective electoral candidates utilizing the momentum of the weekly Car-Free Day in several regions every Sunday morning to greet residents, which is an action that can be interpreted as a disguised campaign.
Although recognizing no prohibition in force to bar election candidates from greeting residents during Car-Free Day, Puadi urged them to refrain from doing so or other activities that can be interpreted as political campaigning before the campaign period starts.
It aims to ensure fair campaigning between candidates in the local elections, he added.
Moreover, once the candidates have been officially recognized by the General Elections Commission (KPU), their actions until the election day will be subject to electoral campaigning laws, he remarked.
"Assemblies and meetings will be deemed as political campaigns once the status of electoral candidates has been made official by the KPU," Puadi remarked.
Indonesia will hold simultaneous Regional Head Elections to elect governors and deputy governors, mayors and vice mayors, and district heads and deputy district heads on November 27.
The 2024 local elections timetable has set the political campaign to take place only from September 25 to November 23, 2024. A cooling-off period, during which all campaign activities are prohibited, will thereafter be enforced until the polling day.
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Translator: Khaerul Izan, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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