TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The House of Representatives (DPR) Commission II, the government, and the General Elections Commission (KPU) planned to set a schedule for the 2024 General Elections on September 16, 2021.

The delay in the decision on the schedule was caused by the absence of Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian in the Commission's hearing on Monday, September 6.

“Because the Home Affairs Minister cannot attend in person today, we will discuss it or we will make a decision later on September 16,” said the DPR Commission II Speaker, Ahmad Doli Kurnia, in the hearing.

Doli said Tito was absent from today's joint meeting because he was assigned by President Joko Widodo to visit Papua. The former Papuan Regional Police Chief was ordered to check the preparations for the XX National Sports Week (PON), monitor the handling of COVID-19, and collect inputs on the drafting of government regulations as a follow-up to Papua Special Autonomy Law.

KPU Chairman Ilham Saputra asked for the schedule to be set soon. The KPU proposed that the presidential and legislative elections be held on February 21, while the regional elections on November 27.

“As for the preparations, it is surely better to quickly decide the schedule for the elections,” said Ilham in the hearing, adding that it would be the first time that the 2024 General Elections and the Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) be held in the same year.

Read: Home Affairs: 2024 General Elections Cannot Be Postponed

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