TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A work meeting involving the House’s Governance Commission, Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian, the General Election Commission (KPU), the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) and the Election Organization Ethics Council (DKPP) has concluded that the 2020 Regional Head Elections (Pilkada 2020) would not be postponed.

“[This decision is made] after observing that all the stages that have been completed and are in progress are still proceeding as planned, and that the situation is still under control,” said the chairman of the House’s Governance Commission, Ahmad Doli Kurnia, on Monday, September 21, 2020. The meeting then decided the 2020 Regional Elections would still kick off on December 9, 2020.

Consequently, the meeting demanded the election stages be coupled with stringent discipline enforcement and legal sanctions on those violating the COVID-19 health protocols.

The meeting also called on the KPU to revise its regulation No. 10 Year 2020 on the Implementation of Regional Head Elections Amid COVID-19. Some of the points of revision include bans on public gatherings such as public meetings, concerts and convoys; calls for online campaigns; obligations to use hand sanitizers, soaps and other protective health equipment; discipline enforcement referring to the Regional Election Law, the Infectious Disease Pandemic Law, the Health Quarantine Law, and the Criminal Code; and the regulations of voting methods.

Read: Jokowi's Spokesman Says Regional Head Elections Remain on Schedule

AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI