President Prabowo Subianto arrived at a polling station in Babakan Madang, Bogor District, West Java, at 08:41 a.m. local time. He was registered in the polling station's electoral roll with some 600 other people.
Speaking to the press after voting, Prabowo urged elected regional leaders to work for the people.
He noted that the voting process went smoothly, emphasizing that the people have the freedom to choose the leaders they consider best.
"In every election, there are those who win and those who lose. Cooperation is a must. Those who win must be a leader for all, and those who lose must cooperate," he pointed out before leaving the polling station.
Meanwhile, Vice President Gibran, accompanied by his wife, Selvi Ananda, arrived at a polling station in Banjarsari, Solo City, Central Java, at 10:25 a.m. local time.
After casting his vote, Gibran expressed gratitude to the officers serving in the regional head elections.
"For the media, thank you for waiting. I would like to thank the General Elections Commission (KPU), the General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), and the polling station officers," he remarked.
Gibran expressed hope that the regional head elections across the country would run smoothly.
Highlighting the importance of democratic maturity, Gibran emphasized that variations in political preferences are natural in a large, diverse nation like Indonesia.
He advocated for a peaceful approach to prevent electoral differences from escalating into personal insults.
"Differences make our democracy more mature," Gibran said. "Differences make our democracy colorful."
Regarding the quick count of voting results, he urged the people to stay calm and wait until all processes were complete.
Before leaving the polling station, he and his wife greeted residents and took photos with them.
The regional head elections were held simultaneously in 37 provinces, 93 cities, and 415 districts.
The government has set November 27 as a national holiday to encourage people to cast their votes to elect mayors, district heads, and governors.
The KPU offices in all regions will tabulate votes until mid-December.
The elected governors and deputy governors will be sworn in on February 7, while the inauguration of elected mayors, vice mayors, district heads, and deputy district heads will be carried out on February 10.
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Translator: Fathur R, Aris W, Raka A
Editor: Anton Santoso
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