UNS — The Commission for General Elections (KPU), the government, and the House of Representatives (DPR) are discussing the plan for simultaneous elections in 2024. Different from the previous elections, this time, KPU proposed to conduct President-Vice-President, legislative, governor, regent, and mayor elections to be held in one year. President-Vice-President and the legislative election is proposed to be held early or mid-2024, and governor, regent, and mayor elections are proposed to be held at the end of 2024.
This proposal poses a great challenge for KPU as the organizer of elections in Indonesia. Not to mention the technical aspect, funding, and low participation rate issues that need to be handled by the commission. Responding to this plan, the Constitutional Law (HTN) expert of Faculty of Law Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, Dr. Agus Riewanto, mentioned that a simultaneous election is a good option. He stated that from a general election perspective, the cost of the simultaneous election could be lower, and it could reduce voters’ restlessness.
“In the congruent perspective of governmental system, it is far more stable because simultaneous elections allow the government to be formed at the same time from President-Vice-President, DPR, DPRD then local government election at the same year,” Dr. Agus Riewanto explained in Tribunnews.com Overview “Sudah Pemilu Lagi” (Election Again), on Friday (8/10/2021).
However, he emphasized that the negative experience that led to the death of hundreds of Election Supervisor (Panwaslu) in the 2019 General Election must be avoided in 2024. Dr. Agus Riewanto suggested that KPU prepare a more simplified scheme and technical implementation of the general election, reducing the size of ballots, simplifying ballot counts forms, and apply the e-counting method for ballot counting to prevent fatigues.
Do Not Postpone Simultaneous Election
Although it is predicted that simultaneous election will incur fewer costs, Dr. Agus Riewanto reminded that there is also a possibility that the budget could rise because KPU needs to prepare scheme, technical implementation, and coordination between the national and local governments; KPU also needs to prepare health protocols to support facilities in the ballot casting site. But the HTN expert hoped that the simultaneous election must not be postponed and hoped that the success of local government simultaneous election in December 2020 could happen again in 2024.
Dr. Agus Riewanto specifically appreciated the local government’s simultaneous election in December 2020 because it did not create a new Covid-19 cluster, and there was a low SARS-CoV-2 infection rate. He hoped in 2024, KPU could collaborate with the community, and people could take their election rights seriously because the election is not a democratic party but people’s obligation to select the new leader.
“People and election participants both have state obligations that need to be taken seriously. I hope the 2024 Election runs well with creative innovation that does not oppose the Law,” he concluded. Humas UNS
Reporter: Yefta Christopherus AS
Editor: Dwi Hastuti