TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Commander General Agus Subiyanto said the upcoming 2024 regional head elections this year are prone to conflict. According to Agus, the potential for conflict in regional elections is greater than in presidential or legislative elections.

"The simultaneous implementation of regional head elections has a greater risk than presidential or legislative elections," Agus said on Thursday during a meeting with Commission I of DPR.

According to information from the General Elections Commission (KPU), Agus stated that the regional head elections will be held simultaneously in 545 regions. Those regions include 37 provinces, 415 regencies, and 93 cities.

Agus said that the potential for conflict is greater when faced with limited security forces in the regions. "There is a greater possibility of riots between supporting groups," he said.

15 most vulnerable provinces

The Commander revealed that the army has mapped 15 provinces that are most prone to conflict during the elections. Those are Aceh, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Southeast Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, and six provinces in Papua.

According to Agus, each province has different types and kinds of vulnerability. "Starting from race and religious conflicts, conflicts between candidate pairs, clashes between fanatical supporters, political elite conflicts, conflicts in certain political party base regions to armed conflicts that occurred in Papua," he said.

Therefore, Agus stated that TNI will dispatch around 133,416 personnel to help secure the regional elections. "TNI is ready to assist the National Police and local governments in securing the 2024 regional elections by deploying troops and defense equipment as needed," Agus said.

The regional head elections will be held on November 27, 2024. The election process will be held about a month after the presidential inauguration on October 20.

SULTAN ABDURRAHMAN

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