Anies Is Explored, The Potential For Empty Boxes In The Jakarta Pilkada Is Increasingly Visible

Photo Illustration By Andry Winarko VOI

JAKARTA - The simultaneous Regional Head Election (Pilkada) of DKI Jakarta which will be held on November 27, 2024, has the potential to be attended by only one pair or a single candidate pair who will fight the empty box. Following the absence of the PKS coalition which has declared the Anies Baswedan and Sohibul Iman (AMAN) pairs until the deadline is set.

The phenomenon of empty boxes often occurs in Simultaneous Regional Head Elections. The Central KPU report for the 2020 district-level regional elections is 28 regions that have a single partner. Even though there have been delays. There are still 25 regions that are only followed by one single pair and have to fight empty boxes. The number of empty box resistance from year to year is increasing.

Empty boxes are often considered an advantage for a single candidate pair, because they advance to contest, there are no opponents. It seems as if there was an election. But it is actually a reflection of the decline in democracy, because there is no competition over the cold ideas of voters.

Law Number 10 of 2016 provides this mechanism if it is followed by one candidate pair for Cagub and deputy governor, candidates for regent and deputy regent, prospective pairs of mayors and deputy mayors.

Seeing developments in the Jakarta Pilkada also has the potential for empty boxes to occur. Because until now PKS candidates, namely the Anies Baswedan and Sohibul Iman (AMAN) pairs, were declared last July 25 but until the August 4 deadline, they have not succeeded in bringing the 22 seats, as a condition for advancing to become candidates.

Because the deadline was not fulfilled, PKS stated that it was taking the second scenario. namely opening up space to the Advanced Indonesia Coalition (KIM), which means leaving the Coalition that was formed when carrying the Anies-Muhaimin (AMIN) pair in the 2024 presidential election, together previously, Nasdem and PKB.

They crossed into the KIM coalition camp. Where we know that the opposing camp has prepared Ridwan Kamil as an option in the DKI Jakarta regional election. This means that Anies' chances of advancing in the Jakarta Pilkada are increasingly closed.

Responding to this condition, Anies, who incumbent DKI Jakarta Governor, said he respected the PKS decision. "I will respect the decision, as I respect yesterday's decision," said Anies at the Jakarta International Stadium, North Jakarta, Friday, August 10, 2024. Although according to Anies, until now PKS has shifted its support in the Jakarta gubernatorial election.

Until practically only Ridwan Kamil is listed as a candidate for governor in DKI Jakarta, which is rumored to be being handled with Suswono, the former Minister of Agriculture of the SBY era from PKS.

It seems that Ridwan Kamil's position was exchanged for OTW to Jakarta with Dedi Mulyadi from Gerindra. Whereas previously RK was predicted to run as Governor of West Java, and his position will be filled by Dedi Mulyadi, the former Regent of Purwakarta who has also been in Golkar.

Ridwan Kamil seems to be prepared to face Anies' opponents in DKI Jakarta. However, with the turn of PKS into the Central KIM coalition, he hopes that Anies will compete in the DKI Pilkada. So it is possible that Ridwan Kamil will face an empty box.

Hope For A Candidate From PDIP

Now the Public is waiting for the PDIP's attitude of not leaving the empty box and preparing its own candidate in the DKI Regional Head Election. Previously, the chairman of the PDIP DPP, Said Abdullah, emphasized that PDIP would prepare against RK. However, the PDIP seat is only 15 seats, so it is necessary to cooperate with other parties. "His party is in the middle of communicating with various parties," he said yesterday.

It's just that the PDIP position was cornered after most of the group parties came to the KIM coalition. Practically the Nasdem and PKB parties remain, which are also reported to have docked in the KIM camp and two small Perindo parties and the PPP party which only has 2 votes.

What is possible for PDIP is to seduce Nasdem and PKB who are still floating in the KIM Coalition. Muhaimin, for example, still refuses to be called KIM Plus which was initiated by the daily chairman of the Gerindra Party, Sufmi Dasco about the possibility of joining PKB and Nasdem to KIM. So it is likely that PDIP can join them.

However, according to the Executive Director of Political Parameters, Adi Prayitno, to attract this, PDIP must have a more attractive offer than KIM. Together with KIM, it means that they are with the government, who have the opportunity to get a Minister and other positions in the government.

According to Adi, another person also considers how strong the candidate to be promoted will be. So they are interested. Other requirements are of course about the ability to provide logistics. Where Jakarta will need bigger than other regions.

Meanwhile, if PDIP does not get a friend party, it cannot nominate a candidate, because it only has 15 votes. So it must be considered the possibility of an empty city in the Jakarta Pilkada. So that the PDIP option must campaign for an empty box to win with the existing candidates.

Responding to the emergence of this empty box phenomenon, the Member of the Advisory Council of Needdem, Titi Anggraini, said that the phenomenon of empty boxes in the 2024 election had new tendencies. According to him, there is a phenomenon of rolling between parties. Because there are interests in certain areas, he exchanges his candidates. In the end, the victim is voter because there is a decision between voters and the will of political parties.

Regarding the koson box, he suggested that there should be progressive legal remedies that are possible by the law. So far, facilitation of the campaign is only for single candidates. It is as if the KPU only promotes permanent candidates. Even though the Blank Box is also a public legal choice, so people are allowed to campaign for empty boxes.

Apart from hoping for the PDIP to nominate the candidate. Actually, there are candidates from the route to become the second governor and deputy governor who are still struggling to fulfill the requirements to register, namely the Dharma Porengkun-Kun Wardana Abyoto pair. Currently, the KPU is still waiting for the second factual verification stage, the result of which will be completed on August 29. If this pair escapes, of course there will be no empty boxes. However, this pair of candidates does not seem to count, because of the severity of the conditions that must be taken as independent candidates.

However, according to the Executive Director of Democracy and Electoral Empowerment Partnership (DEEP) Indonesia, Neni Nur Hayati, the opportunity for an independent single-track candidate to win in the 2024 DKI Jakarta gubernatorial election (Pilgub) is very thin.