Wahyu Setiawan's OTT Will Not Disturb The 2020 Pilkada Stages

Chairman of the KPU Arief Budiman (Wardhany Tsa Tsia / VOI)

JAKARTA - The General Election Commission (KPU) commissioner Wahyu Setiawan was caught in the arrest operation (OTT) of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). This arrest occurred during the preparation process for the Simultaneous Regional Head Election (Pilkada) 2020.

Even so, the Chairman of the Indonesian KPU, Arief Budiman, emphasized that the arrest of his subordinates would not interfere with the preparations for the 2020 Pilkada elections which will be held on 23 September.

"It doesn't matter. The stages (pilkada) are still going on. I assure you all the stages go according to the provisions," said Arief at the KPU RI Office, Jalan Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta, Wednesday, January 8.

Arief is sure that whatever legal status will ensnare Wahyu in the future, it will not interfere with the ongoing preparations. Moreover, the KPU has prepared a thorough re-election stage for regional heads.

Currently, Wahyu is the Commissioner of the KPU in charge of socialization and community participation. Previously, the KPK OTT news, Wahyu was often preoccupied with visits and outreach to several regions related to the 2020 Pilkada implementation process.

With Wahyu being detained at the KPK, whose status is currently investigated, Wahyu is forced to be unable to carry out his duties at the KPU. However, Arief said Wahyu's duties were still being carried out by his subordinates.

"Someone has replaced him. Every division has a representative," said Arief.

For information, the 2020 Pilkada stages after this are the registration of candidates for governor which will be held in the upcoming February. Then, the registration of candidates for regents and mayors will begin in March 2020.

Furthermore, candidates will start campaigning from July 1 to September 19, 2020 with a duration of 81 days. The 2020 regional elections will be held in 270 regions.

There are nine provinces, 37 cities, and in 224 districts. Where, one of them is the Makassar City Pilkada which is a re-election because in 2018 the candidates who went forward lost with empty boxes.