Election Campaign 2024 Maximum 75 Days, Academics: Not A Problem, Most Importantly The Goal Is Effective

Illustration of the process of folding ballot papers for the 2019 Election. (Antara Rahmad)

JAKARTA - Lecturer of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) at Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed) Purwokerto Ahmad Sabiq assessed that the duration of the 2024 General Election (Election) campaign of 75 days was not a problem.

"The essence of the campaign is not really a matter of long or short duration. However, whether the purpose of the campaign can be effective and in terms of resources can be efficient, in terms of time, cost, effort, and others," said Sabiq in Purwokerto, Central Java, quoted by Antara. from Antara, Tuesday 14 June.

According to him, the effectiveness of the campaign is seen from whether the prospective voters are well informed about the election participants. So, he continued, the effectiveness of the election campaign is related to content, media, and delivery methods.

The lecturer in the Political Party Theory and Election System course said that campaign effectiveness is seen through creative, intelligent, and civilized delivery, not provocatively and dividing the nation.

Thus, he added, voters can get sufficient information about the candidate's track record and the ideas submitted, so that it can be considered by prospective voters in making choices.

In addition, if parties conduct recruitment by considering the quality side, such as selecting legislator candidates who have roots, reputation, and achievements in the community, then election participants should not require a prolonged campaign duration.

"Over time it's even inefficient and the public can become bored," he added.

Previously, the Labor Party reported the General Elections Commission (KPU) to the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) regarding the 75-day campaign issue as regulated in KPU Regulation (PKPU) Number 3 of 2022 concerning the Stages and Schedule of Organizing the 2024 Election.

"The 75-day campaign period is unfair; the existing parliamentary parties are already known, some non-parliamentary parties are known, but the new parties are not," said Labor Party President Said Iqbal at the Bawaslu Office, Jakarta, Monday, June 13.

According to Said, all political parties, whether new parties, non-parliamentary parties, or parliamentary parties, must be treated equally. According to him, the short campaign period will result in limited time for new parties to introduce themselves to the public as potential voters.