KPU Reveals Heavy Duty If The Election Is Held In 2024

Acting Chairman of the KPU Ilham Saputra (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Acting Chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) RI Ilham Saputra admitted that the workload of election organizers is heavier if regional head elections (pilkada) are held simultaneously in 2024.

This is because there will be presidential and vice presidential elections, as well as legislative elections such as the DPR, DPD and DPRD which will also be held in 2024.

"Of course it will be very difficult if the elections in 2024. Why is that? Because the stages coincide with the national elections," Ilham said in a virtual discussion, Tuesday, February 2.

Based on the experience of holding the 2019 Election which combines only national elections, Ilham admits that many C1 forms or the results of vote recapitulation are not completed at the polling organizing group (KPPS) level.

Not to mention, the number of voter turnout has fallen by 11 percent from the previous election, so many KPPS officers were exhausted and died.

In addition, Ilham said there were other challenges that must be faced if the elections were held in 2024, namely the stages of socialization and education to voters.

"Will the public be bored with regional elections, general elections and so on. Of course this is a challenge for election organizers. Moreover, I do not know when the pandemic is over," said Ilham.

However, Ilham admitted that his party would continue to carry out any decisions regarding the election schedule. "If it is carried out later in the 2022 regional elections, like it or not, like it or not we must be ready to carry it out. If we refer to the current law, we have to implement the 2024 regional election," he concluded.

President Joko Widodo reportedly wants the next regional head elections (pilkada) to be held simultaneously in 2024. Jokowi does not agree with the General Election Bill (RUU) which normalizes the 2017 Pilkada to be continued into 2022 and the 2018 Pilkada to be continued in 2023.

Jokowi's attitude toward eliminating the 2022 and 2023 Pilkada was seen in the statement of the Director General of Politics and General Government of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Bahtiar. Bahtiar said, the government still wants to implement the rules in Law Number 1 of 2015 concerning Pilkada which has determined that elections will be held simultaneously in 2024.

"We are of the opinion that the Pilkada Law should be implemented first. There are objectives to be achieved why the Pilkada is concurrent in 2024. Let us carry out the existing laws in accordance with the mandate of the Law, Law Number 10 of 2016 Article 201 paragraph 8, Pilkada simultaneously we carry out in 2024, "said Bahtiar, some time ago.