Delaying 2024 Election Can Spark Conflicts, Says Former Vice President

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former vice president Jusuf Kalla on Friday made it clear that postponing the 2024 general elections (Pemilu) suggested by a number of political figures is prone to spark conflicts. He reminded people that it would also violate the country’s Constitution.

“We already have too many conflicts. We should abide by the Constitution, that is all,” said Kalla in a written statement on March 4. 

The former Golkar Party politician asserted that extending a president’s term will be unconstitutional and incite more conflicts among each political spectrum.

“The constitution states five years [for each term]. If the Constitution is not followed, this country will be in conflict,” he added.

The idea of pushing back the general election by two years was first voiced by PKB chairperson Muhaimin Iskandar. His suggestion on separate occasions was then echoed by other politicians such as PAN chairperson Zulkifli Hasan and Golkar Party chair and Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto. 

In general, these politicians justified their suggestion by claiming the country is not yet in a stable condition to host a general election. They argued that the government needs to be given time to recover. However, other political parties such as NasDem, PKS, Democrat Party, PPP and PDIP have voiced their opposition.

A latest survey by LSI also revealed that the majority of respondents (71 percent) strongly opposed the idea of extending President Joko Widodo’s term until 2027. “The majority of people see that President Joko Widodo’s term must end in 2024 as stated by the Constitution,” said LSI director Djayadi Hanan.

Read: Postponing 2024 Elections Irrelevant, Opens Path to Authoritarianism: Study

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH l DEWI NURITA