Eri Cahyadi-Armuji Buys Political Party Support Against Empty Boxes, KPU Surabaya Extends Pilkada Registration

The General Election Commission (KPU) of Surabaya City, East Java has extended the registration of regional head election participants (pilkada) in the local city.

The Coordinator of the KPU Technical Division of Surabaya City, Bakron Hadi, explained that until Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 23.59 WIB, only the candidate pair for mayor and deputy mayor of Surabaya, Eri Cahyadi-Armuji, would register with the KPU in Surabaya.

During the extension of this registration period, the Surabaya City KPU also conducted socialization to each political party.

"Starting today, we will disseminate information to political parties in Surabaya, and we have uploaded the announcement on the KPU's website and social media in Surabaya," he said as quoted by ANTARA, Friday, August 30.

Bakron said, if in the next three days or until Sunday 1 September 2024 there are no more registrants, then it can be ascertained that the Candidate Pair for Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Surabaya Eri Cahyadi-Armuji will fight the empty box in the 2024 Surabaya City Election.

"(If no one registers again), it is certain that only one candidate pair will be determined on September 22, 2024," he said.

Of the 18 political parties that carry the sense that the Candidate Pair for Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Surabaya Eri Cahyadi-Armuji, as many as 15 political parties include the proposing party, while the rest are supporting parties that cannot meet the complete requirements to become the proposing party.

Bakron said that supporting parties that meet the threshold for total valid votes with a percentage of 6.5 percent in the 2024 Legislative Election (Pileg) can then propose a candidate for their own regional head candidate.

"For supporting parties that change their minds and want to be proposers, please, but the terms and conditions are the same as the registration at the beginning yesterday, the pair will have to attend, the chairman and secretary of the nominating political party must attend, the provisions are exactly the same," he said.

The Surabaya KPU also emphasized that each political party that has been included in the category of the proposing party cannot withdraw support or recommendations for prospective pairs of candidates who have registered with the KPU of Surabaya City.

"Based on Article 53 of Law Number 8 of 2015 and Article 100 of PKPU Number 8 of 2024, the political party proposing cannot withdraw its support," he said.