State Palace: Indonesia Ready for Regional Elections Tomorrow

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – As the 2020 regional election is set to take place in 270 regions tomorrow, the Office of the Presidential Staff (KSP) expressed hope that the voting will run smoothly without social friction.

“I think [the regional elections] is ready [to be held]. All preparations have been made. Health protocols have also been implemented,” said Donny Gahral Adian, a leading expert at the Office on Tuesday, December 8.

“KPU [the General Elections Commission] and Bawaslu [the Elections Supervisory Agency] have carried out their duties, so we just have to go through the voting process, and hopefully it will run peacefully and there will be no friction,” Donny said.

Also read: Indonesia to Push Ahead with 2020 Regional Elections Despite Covid-19 Challenges 

When asked about the possibility of fewer voters will come to the polling stations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Donny said that it would better to focus on the election process.

He went on to say that democracy cannot only be measured by the quantity of the voters, but also by its quality. “It means that how the election process is implemented peacefully without violence, and promoting democratic elections.” 

He also hopes that this year’s elections will be better than before.

“We hope to see better elections. There will be no significant problems and hopefully, this also indicates our maturity in democracy.” 

The regional elections will vote for 270 regional heads in nine provinces, 224 regencies, and 37 municipalities across the country.

(Writer: Dian Erika Nugraheny | Editor: Krisiandi)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/12/08/19082831/istana-pilkada-2020-siap-digelar-semoga-tak-ada-gesekan.