Tug-of-War in General-Regional Elections, Who Gets the Benefits?

Several parties have clashed over the contents of the General Election Law (RUU) revision, particularly over the timing of the simultaneous Regional Head Elections (Pilkada). According to regional heads' term of office, the Election Bill stipulates that the Pilkada will simultaneously take place in 2022 and 2023. However, several parties rejected the clause, because they wanted the Pilkada to be held simultaneously with the legislative and presidential elections, under Law No.10/2016 on General Elections.

Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Zulkifli Hasan, stated that the Election Law had not been revised. "So far, the Election has been running quite well," he said, citing that improvements can be made in the derivative regulations.

In line with Zulkifli, Chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), Suharso Monoarfa also noted that the Election Law revision was hasty and hindered the democracy.

Meanwhile, the head of the Democratic Party's Public Communication Agency, Herzaky Mahendra Putra, said his party is pushing for regional elections to be held in 2022 and 2023 through the Election Law revision. He said that if the regional head election is held in 2024, it will disturb the organizers' focus in carrying out the legislative and presidential elections. "The concurrency of the Presidential Election and the 2019 legislative election provides a clear example of how legislative election sank amid the bustle of the Presidential Election, likewise with the regional head election."