TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced it would not reverse its decision to have Metro TV as one of the presidential debate broadcasters. The KPU said the decision had gone through a discussion that involved both presidential camps.

KPU commissioner Wahyu Setiawan said the commission would partner with Metro TV and Emtek Group (Indosiar and SCTV) for the fourth presidential debate, and that the Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin National Campaign Team (TKN) and the Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno National Campaign Body (BPN) had assented to this.

“The TV organizers for the fourth presidential debate will be Emtek Group and Metro TV. Secondly, the BPN campaign team noted that debate organizers must be independent, neutral, and professional,” said Wahyu in a press conference at the KPU headquarters on Monday.

Read: Metro TV Asks Prabowo Camp Not to Fret over Debate Coverage

Earlier, Prabowo’s BPN team protested against the appointment of Metro TV as one of the presidential debate broadcasters on March 30, lest the latter would not present fair coverage.

Prabowo’s BPN team had even submitted a protest to the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) for alleged unfair coverage during the 2019 presidential election processes.

Responding to BPN’s fears, Metro TV editor-in-chief Don Bosco Salamun said that BPN should not worry about the TV station’s objectivity as the presidential debate’s contents and procedures were determined by the KPU.

IQBAL TAWAKAL LAZUARDI (CONTRIBUTOR)