Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian said the inauguration of the elected regional heads from the simultaneous regional head elections in 2024 scheduled on February 6, 2025, has been canceled.
Tito said that the Constitutional Court (MK) has advanced the date for reading interim decisions of disputes over the results of the 2024 regional head elections. Therefore, the government is waiting for the Constitutional Court's decision.
"We will hold the inauguration as soon as possible (with a new schedule)," said Tito in a press conference at the Ministry of Home Affairs complex on Friday, January 31, 2025.
He said the government plans to combine the inauguration of regional heads whose elections were uncontested with those whose victories were challenged but whose cases were dismissed or not continued by the Constitutional Court. This consolidation is intended to improve efficiency.
"The inauguration for non-disputed MK cases totaling 296 (regional heads) originally scheduled for February 6 will be combined with those that have received a dismissal (decision)," said Tito.
According to Tito, the government initially intended to hold a second stage of inaugurations for the elected regional heads whose lawsuits were rejected by the Constitutional Court through an interim decision or did not proceed to the witness examination stage. However, Tito said, President Prabowo Subianto asked that the first and second stages be merged into a single event.
"He believes that if the time difference is not too far apart, for the sake of efficiency, it's best to combine the inauguration between the non-disputed and those with a dismissal (decision)," said the former Chief of the Indonesian National Police.
Initially, the House of Representatives (DPR), executives, the General Election Commission, the Election Supervisory Body, and the Electoral Organizer Honor Council agreed on the initial inauguration date of February 6, 2025. It was decided in the fifth meeting of the parties at the DPR on Wednesday, January 23.
According to the meeting's results, this first wave was to include 296 elected regional heads whose victories were uncontested. The inauguration of regional heads from 249 other regions is pending the Constitutional Court's decisions.
The Constitutional Court has scheduled the reading of interim decisions on hundreds of disputes to begin on February 4, 2025. The Court will begin by reading decisions on 155 regional head election disputes the following Tuesday, including those from Empat Lawang Regency, Pangandaran, Morotai Island, Klaten, and Padang City. Decisions for other regions are scheduled for the following day.
The General Election Commission has prepared a draft official letter to be sent to the respective regional General Election Commissions when the Constitutional Court rejects a candidate pair's lawsuit.
"The General Election Commission has prepared a draft of an official letter based on the Constitutional Court's decision and ruling so that several regions that decided to be dismissed can join the simultaneous inauguration," said KPU Commissioner Iffa Rosita on Friday, January 31, 2025.
When asked about the postponement, Rosita declined to comment, stating that the matter would be discussed by the General Election Commission, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Election Supervisory Board, the DKPP, and DPR Commission II the following Monday.
"Let's just wait until Monday for sure because there is a meeting. The finalization of the inauguration schedule may be discussed at the same time," she said.
Tito Karnavian confirmed that the new inauguration schedule of the elected regional heads will be determined in a meeting between the executive branch, the General Election Commission, and the Election Supervisory Board. "We will convey the results on Monday," he said.
– Daniel Ahmad Fajri contributed to the writing of this article.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1970118/govt-postpones-inauguration-of-elected-regional-heads-heres-wh