Areas Fighting Empty Boxes In The 2024 Pilkada KPU Version

Illustration of the empty box of the 2024 Pilkada (Between)

YOGYAKARTA Ahead of the Election to the Regions, there are many discussions about candidate pairs in the regions fighting empty boxes in the 2024 Pilkada. If this condition really happens, then the running pairs of candidates can certainly win.

Please note, in the context of the 2024 Pilkada, the term that is being discussed widely is Empty City'. This term refers to a condition where in one area only has one candidate pair (paslon). As a result, the people have no other choice but to candidate pairs against empty boxes.

Regarding the phenomenon of empty boxes in the 2024 Pilkada, the Chairman of the Indonesian KPU Mochamad Afifuddin explained that at least 48 regions have the potential to have only one candidate pair. Unfortunately, he did not specify where the area with this potential was.

Afifuddin only mentioned that there is one province, namely in West Papua, five cities, and 42 regencies. Whereas the 2024 Pilkada will be held in 545 regions consisting of 37 provinces, 415 districts, and 93 cities.

Apart from this statement, one of the areas that has great potential to have a single candidate pair is Surabaya which was followed by Eri Cahyadi-Armuji. The two PDIP cadres are running for the candidate pair for mayor and deputy mayor for the 2024 Surabaya Pilwali.

It should be noted that candidate pairs Eri-Armuji have the support of all political parties in Surabaya, totaling 18 political parties.

If in the end in one area only has a single candidate, the General Election Commission (KPU) will provide facilities that allow people not to choose the existing single candidate pair. This is as explained by KPU member Idham Holik.

According to him, the KPU will facilitate the public's right not to choose the existing candidate pairs and prefer empty boxes. The empty box voting facility is in the form of making ballots without taking pictures. The letter is designed for a single candidate. The design of the single candidate election will contain photos of the existing candidate pairs and pictures of not taking pictures.

"For the single candidate, the first one will be a ballot design with a photo of the candidate pair, which then is that the ballot does not take pictures, or begins with a ballot that does not take pictures, then the candidate pair," explained Idham as quoted by ANTARA, quoted Wednesday, September 4.

Idham also emphasized that even though there is only one candidate to advance, the candidate pair will still be drawn. The KPU will draw whether the existing candidate pairs will receive serial numbers 1 or 2.

In addition, he also explained that the Law did not prohibit people from choosing empty boxes. It's just that the KPU does not provide campaign facilities for empty boxes.

"We emphasize that in the Pilkada Law there is no obligation of the KPU to facilitate empty boxes. In the context of freedom of expression, in electoral democracy, if there are people who have political views that are different from single candidates, the law does not prohibit," said Idham.

That's information related to areas that fight empty boxes in the 2024 Pilkada. Visit VOI.id to get other interesting information.