Vice President Calls The Debate Of Vice President Is Good Not Accompanied By Presidential Candidates, So That The Public Knows The Capabilities Of Candidates

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin assessed that the implementation of a special debate for vice presidential candidates could show the public about the understanding of the candidates for the problems they face.

"If it means to measure the vice president's (candidate) ability to master the problems that will be faced. You can't, you don't understand what will be faced. If you are accompanied, you can support it. That's the difference," said Vice President Ma'ruf Amin after attending the event in Depok, West Java, reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, December 5.

Vice President Ma'rufm conveyed this in response to the discourse of removing the special debate for the vice president in the 2024 presidential election campaign series and will be replaced with a vice presidential debate accompanied by presidential candidates.

He said the Election Law had regulated the presidential election debate mechanism, which was three times for presidential candidates and twice for vice presidential candidates.

According to Vice President Ma'ruf, this provision cannot be removed because it will violate the law. However, he said the implementation depends on the agreement of the candidates.

"It's just what the way will be, what kind of time (debate) the three presidential candidates are, and what the two vice presidential candidates will be. That depends on the agreement from the (candidates). I heard that it has not been final (the abolition of the special debate for the vice presidential candidate)," said Ma'ruf Amin.

Vice President Ma'ruf said that in the 2019 presidential election he participated in with President Joko Widodo, there was no debate before the presidential and vice presidential debate.

However, there is currently a debate before the implementation of the debate because there is an issue that the vice presidential candidate will be accompanied by a presidential candidate during the debate.

"In the past, there was no debate before the debate. Now there is a debate because there will be an issue that will be accompanied later. In the past, my experience was with the presidential candidate with the vice presidential candidate, some were presidential candidates themselves, some were vice presidential candidates without being accompanied. That was what I thought before, it should be like that," said the vice president.

Ma'ruf Amin said the distribution of the debate mechanism, namely two for the presidential candidate, two for the vice president and one for the presidential and vice presidential candidates together would be better.

"It might be better so that there are still five (debates) without any (debates). Now, this is an issue that becomes a problem, there is a vice presidential debate, but accompanied. I think we'll just have to wait," said Vice President Ma'ruf Amin.