President Jokowi: Rp110.4 Trillion Needed For Simultaneous Elections

President Joko Widodo (Antara)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo said that a budget of Rp. 110.4 trillion was needed to hold the general election and local elections in 2024.

"Yesterday, it was conveyed to me that an estimated budget of Rp110.4 trillion was for the KPU and Bawaslu," President Joko Widodo said in a limited meeting at the Bogor Presidential Palace, reported by Antara, Sunday, April 10.

According to President Jokowi, this amount consists of the budget for the General Election Commission (KPU) of Rp. 76.6 trillion and the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) of Rp. 33.8 trillion.

"I ask for this to be detailed again, calculated again, calculated again both in the APBN and in the APBD and be prepared in stages," said the President.

Elections for the president, vice president, members of the Indonesian People's Representative Council (DPR), Regional Representatives Council (DPD), provincial Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) and regency/municipal DPRD are planned to be held on February 14, 2022 while the regional elections to elect the governor, deputy governor , regents and deputy regents as well as mayors and deputy mayors will be held on 27 November 2024.

The meeting also discussed the preparation of governor officials, regent officials, mayoral officials whose terms of office expire in 2022 with details of 7 governors, 76 regents, and 18 mayors that must be filled in for a total of 101 regions.

"I ask that the selection of regional official figures is really carried out properly, so that we get capable regional officials, have strong leadership, and are able to carry out heavy tasks in the midst of a global economic situation that is not easy, not easy so that later election preparations will be carried out," he said. and the 2024 simultaneous regional elections can go well," said the President.

"That's normal, but don't let people be provoked by useless political interests, so I ask for education, massive political educators to be carried out to the community and to the contestants," added the President.

The President also asked that there be no political issues that are not good, especially issues of identity politics that put forward the political issues of SARA that are sticking out.

"We have had bad experiences in previous elections, we hope this will not happen in the 2024 elections," added the President.

Previously, the All-Indonesian Student Executive Board (BEM SI) planned to hold a demonstration in front of the State Palace on April 11, 2022. The activity was planned to be attended by around 1,000 students from various universities.

In the action later, one of the demands that will be voiced by the students. First, students urged President Jokowi to give an open and firm statement to reject the discourse of postponing the 2024 General Election and the discourse of extending the presidential term.