2020 Regional Elections Implementation to Consider Covid-19 Outbreak

Jakarta, InfoPublik - Indonesian General Election Commission (KPU) Chairperson Arief Budiman stated that the implementation of 2020 regional elections will consider the recent development of Covid-19 outbreak. If the corona pandemic persisted we may call further postponement of the regional elections from its December 2020 plan.

According to Arief , KPU has set two new scenarios, which is to postpone the regional elections until March 2021 or September 2021.

"The KPU cannot estimate when this condition will end, KPU will then issue the next option. If this doesn't end within the time we estimate, we have second option, March 2021, if it remained, another option is September 2021," Arief said, through a written statement, after the Islamic Society (SI) online discussion on Sunday (17/05/2020).

Arief said that the consideration for the postponement until March 2021 or September 2021 was the current status of the corona emergency response period established by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) which ends in 29 May 2020.

The December regional elections may only be held if the emergency response status is revoked on 29 May.

He revealed that if the emergency response status was extended, the Large-Scale Social Limitation (PSBB) would still be in effect, with pandemic curve fluctuating, the KPU would not take any chance to holding regional election in the middle of the corona.

"If the conditions are not met, it cannot be held in December. Then the second option is March 2021," he continued.

The requirement for holding regional elections in March 2021 is the pandemic shall end in August 2020 and PSBB shall be revoked. This will give time for the Commission to prepare a host of stages of regional elections which involve many personnel and communities before the election.

"If August is not possible, we have the 3 September 2021 option. In this case, the KPU will have more time to begin the stages in February 2021. It is expected that everything has been recovered to normal in terms of the economy, transportation, and others," he explained.

Association for Election and Democracy (Perludem) Executive Director Titi Anggraini stated that hosting regional election in December 2020 would be risky. Titi explained that the election should not only pay attention to when the Covid-19 pandemic ends, but also ensured that the pandemic has ended in most parts of Indonesia when the regional election stages began, not only when the election is conducted.

"If it is not taken seriously, if the implementation of the regional election is forced, it may affect the decline of public confidence in democracy," She said.
(Photo: KPU RI, Reporter:Eko Budiono, Translator: Penni P. Rusman)