Ministry Of Home Affairs Asks Local Government To Susun Steps, Prepare Re-Pilkada Grant Funds For 2025

Plh. Director General of Highways of the Ministry of Home Affairs Horas Maurits Panjaitan at the online 2025 Election Coordination Meeting on Tuesday, December 3. (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Home Affairs (Kemendagri) through the Directorate General (Ditjen) of Regional Finance Development (Keuda) has asked the local government (Pemda) to draw up strategic steps to ensure the readiness of the re- Pilkada grant in 2025 through the 2025 Regional Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBD).

Acting Director General (Dirjen) Bina Keuda Ministry of Home Affairs Horas Maurits Panjaitan said this effort was important to anticipate the victory of the empty box in the 2024 Simultaneous Pilkada.

"The 2024 Simultaneous Regional Head Election Funding is borne by the APBD, as regulated in Article 166 Paragraph 1 of Law Number 10 Year 2016 and strengthened through the Circular Letter (SE) of the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) on January 24, 2023," said Maurits in his statement in Jakarta, Wednesday 4 December, was confiscated by Antara.

The letter encourages local governments to allocate a budget through the Draft Regional Grant Agreement (NPHD). For this reason, local governments need to take concrete steps to anticipate and support the readiness of re-cash grant funding in 2025.

He explained various strategic steps that must be taken by the local government. First, the local government allocates re-election funding in accordance with the stages of managing election activity funds, which are stipulated by the General Election Commission (KPU) Regulation and are guided by laws and regulations.

Second, if the re-election fund allocation is not yet available, the local government is required to rationalize and budget efficiency whose results are diverted to fund the election.

Third, the regional government coordinates with the Regional General Election Commission (KPUD) and Regional Bawaslu to report the use of simultaneous 2024 Pilkada grant funds.

If there is a remaining budget for grant funds, it will be taken into account in the need for 2025 re-election funds.

"Fourth, in the event that local governments carrying out re-elections have not been able to fund from the APBD, they can propose support from the provincial budget or from the APBN (State Revenue and Expenditure Budget)," he said.

He conveyed that the certainty of the re- Pilkada in 2025 is awaiting the KPU's decision regarding the results of the real calculation of ballots scheduled for December 16, 2024.

Even so, Maurits reminded that grant funding for the 2025 re-cash must still refer to the principles of effectiveness, efficiency, fairness, propriety, and accountability in accordance with statutory regulations.

It is known that the Simultaneous Regional Head Election was held in 545 regions, covering 37 provinces, 415 regencies, and 93 cities, followed by 1,556 pairs of regional head candidates at various levels of government. Pilkada participants consist of 103 pairs of governor-deputy governor-deputy candidates in 37 provinces, 1,168 pairs of regent and deputy regent candidates in 415 districts, as well as 284 pairs of mayor and deputy mayor candidates in 93 cities," he concluded.