Touching Galungan, Minister Of Home Affairs Affirms That The Election Schedule For February 28, 2024 Is Not Yet Final

Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, emphasized that the schedule for the general election on February 28, 2024 was not an official or final decision.

Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian in Jakarta, Wednesday, said the schedule for February 28 was a proposal from the Indonesian KPU after considering various possibilities in holding simultaneous general elections and simultaneous regional elections in 2024.

"The KPU conveyed that February 28, with the reason that the budget was ready, was then carried out before the month of Ramadan to avoid staff fatigue. Now, February 28 was taken, but this has not become an official decision yet," he said, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, June 9.

The schedule may shift from the one proposed by the KPU if there are other considerations that turn out the election cannot be scheduled for February 28, 2024.

"Perhaps someone will convey to the public that February 28 is Galungan Day. It must automatically exercise and it cannot apply. What is done next, there will be a meeting again, the exercise meeting is not a final meeting," he said.

Later, according to Tito, the government will also conduct a study, as well as Bawaslu and Commission II of the DPR RI on the planned 2024 election schedule.

"The government is conducting a study, the KPU will carry out an exercise, Bawaslu commission 2 will have a different opinion, later we will meet again to see which date is right for the presidential and regional elections. So the risk of overlapping is low," said Tito.

The Minister of Home Affairs explained that the mandate of the Election Law states that the presidential-vice presidential election will be held simultaneously with the legislature, DPRD, and it is stated that the year will be 2024.

"(The simultaneous elections) are said to be in 2024, yes. Meanwhile, in Law 10 of 2016 concerning regional head elections, it is specifically called November 2024," said Tito.

Because the simultaneous elections have been determined to be held in November 2024, the Indonesian KPU has made a study for the schedule for the 2024 simultaneous elections by aligning the schedule for the elections.

The holding of the presidential election when referring to 2019 was held in April, but at that time there was only one round. Meanwhile, in 2024, if there is a second round, the holding of the 2024 simultaneous elections could be a collision with the 2024 simultaneous elections.

"Later on, there will be an overlapping collision of very heavy work. The presidential election has not yet been completed, the regional election has already started, it will be difficult. So the KPU is trying to exercise, the time gap is looser.

However, if the election is held in January, the problem is in the budget, which is usually not disbursed in the fiscal year.

"March is the month of fasting, if it is carried out later, fatigue will arise and so on, so they (KPU) carry out April too close to the election. According to the KPU, a good one is in February, so when they exercise, yes (not final), submitted February 28," he said.