Bawaslu: Elected Candidates Must Resign When Determined As Candidates For Regional Heads

Chairman of the Indonesian Bawaslu Rahmat Bagja when questioned after inaugurating the Bandarlmpung Bawaslu building. Tuesday, (14/5/2024). (ANTARA/Dian Hadiyatna)

Chairman of Bawaslu Rahmat Bagja stated that elected legislative members (caleg) in 2024 must still resign from their positions when they are appointed as candidates for the 2024 regional (cakada).

"Legicals do not need to resign when registering, but must resign when they are appointed as candidates for regional head," said Rahmat Bagja, in Bandarlampung as reported by ANTARA, Tuesday, May 14.

According to him, the Constitutional Court's (MK) decision must be read slowly and should not be read in pieces, so that everyone can clearly see all their considerations.

"Then there is no need for an Constitutional Court decision to mandate that there must be a statement of resignation. The decision should not be read in pieces but we will still discuss it in the draft Candidate KPU Regulation," he said.

According to him, the discussion of the PKPU Regulation on Candidacy, is to avoid disputes or problems in the Simultaneous Pilkada process in November 2024.

"So to avoid, for example, if you don't need to resign, the person concerned continues, suddenly there was a dispute and it was canceled because it didn't back down, now it's a problem again," he said.

Bawaslu also asked the KPU not to provide a statement until the PKPU's nomination was completed.

"We urge the KPU to state like that, it is better for the PKPU to nominate its language. When it is finished, we will talk about it. Even if there is a discussion regarding it, the organizers should not speak better for academic friends," he said.

Previously, the Chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) Hasyim Asy'ari reiterated that candidates for legislative members (caleg) elected in the 2024 General Election are not obliged to resign if they run for the 2024 simultaneous regional elections.

Hasyim also explained that the statement was his interpretation of Law Number 10 of 2016 concerning Regional Head Elections and Constitutional Court Decisions (MK) Number 12/PUU-XXII/2024.