Coordinating Minister For Human Development And Culture: One Round Presidential Election Is Enough, Can Save Up To IDR 40 Trillion

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy after chairing the Ministerial Level Meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, Jakarta, Monday (19/2/2024). ANTARA/Asep Firmansyah

Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Muhadjir Effendy said that if the general election (Pemilu) only runs one round, it can save the budget of up to Rp40 trillion.

"If we hope as I said, if we can get one round, that's enough. So that Rp40 trillion is quite large, so if we give rice, maybe journalists throughout Indonesia can spend one year without spending," said Muhadjir as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, February 19.

Currently, the election period for presidential and vice presidential and legislative candidates has been completed. Of the various results from the quick count of survey institutions, one pair is predicted to win one round.

Although the election is likely to run in one round, Muhadjir is reluctant to talk further about the results of the quick count until the announcement of the official determination from the General Elections Commission (KPU).

"Right, the reference is not a quick count, not a survey, but later on when the KPU officially announces it," he said.

According to him, the government is ready to prepare funds if the election must be held in two rounds. The Ministry of Finance has marked the budget for each ministry/institution.

"So later if there is a second round, the budget will be used, indeed usually there will be data on the APBN change, right, yes. But instead of that, it would be better not to change," he said.

According to him, if one round of elections is realized, the budget can be diverted to social funds for the community to handling extreme poverty.

"Then the risk of fiscal can also be reduced, then also the investment climate will also be more likely to be more conducive than if there should be a second round and so on," he said.