Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The House of Representatives (DPR) Commission II, the government, and the General Election Commission (KPU) have agreed to hold new regional elections in 2025 if empty ballot boxes win in the upcoming regional elections on Nov. 27.

This decision was made during a working meeting at the DPR building in Senayan, Jakarta, attended by Commission II, the Ministry of Home Affairs, KPU, the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu), and the Election Committee Honorary Council (DKPP).

"If a region's local elections feature only one pair of candidates and they do not receive more than 50 percent of the votes, the gubernatorial, regency, and mayoral elections will be rescheduled for 2025," said Ahmad Doli Kurnia, Chairman of Commission II, summarizing the meeting's conclusions.

Doli said that Commission II has asked KPU and Bawaslu to act on these conclusions. The follow-up will be discussed further in a meeting with Commission II, the government, and election organizers on Sept. 27.

"We will continue this discussion on Sept. 27 for the draft of the KPU regulation," Doli added.

He emphasized that re-elections are preferable to having a region managed by an interim official until the next election in 2029, as this could hinder regional development and governance.

"It is better for the region to be led by a definitive head with broader and clearer authority compared to an interim official. An interim official for five years could disrupt regional development," Doli concluded.

The meeting also addressed the procedure for re-voting and counting votes in cases where there is only one candidate in the local elections. This refers to Article 54D of Law No. 10/2016 on Regional Elections. Article 54D states:

• The Provincial or Regency/City KPU shall declare the elected candidate pair in elections with only one candidate (facing an empty ballot) if they receive more than 50% of the valid votes.
• If the candidate pair receives less than the specified percentage, the losing candidate may run again in the next election.
• The next election, as described in paragraph (2), will be held the following year or as scheduled in the relevant regulations.

Of the approximately 500 regions participating in the simultaneous elections, 41 will feature only one candidate running against an empty ballot. This includes one province, five cities, and 35 regencies.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/2024-regional-election-what-happens-if-a-candidate-loses-to-an-empty-ballot-bo