Jokowi Urged to Retract Statement on President's Right to Back Election Contestants
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24 January 2024 22:55 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Director of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), Khoirunnisa Agustyati, urged President Joko Widodo or Jokowi to withdraw his statement that the president and ministers could endorse any presidential candidate in the elections.
Perludem believed that the statement could be used as a basis for state officials and the entire state apparatus to show political bias in the upcoming February elections. This has the potential to make the election process riddled with fraud.
“This could lead to unfair and undemocratic elections,” Khoirunnisa said in a written statement, on Wednesday, January 24.
Perludem also urged the General Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) to be firm and responsible in resolving and addressing all forms of non-neutrality and the partiality of the state apparatus and state officials, that overtly benefit certain election contestants, particularly those using state facilities.
According to Article 283 (1) of the Election Law, Khoirunnisa explained that state officials and civil servants are barred from carrying out activities that show support for any election participants before, during, and after the campaign.
Earlier today, President Jokowi stated that the sitting president could take sides and campaign for any candidate in the elections as long as there was no misuse of state facilities. “We are public officials and political officials,” he said.
IKHSAN RELIUBUN
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