M Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD ensured that no discussions related to the proposed delay of the 2024 General Elections took place within the government. The proposal was widely discussed among the public after National Awakening Party (PKB) chair Muhaimin Iskandar voiced it to the media.

"There has never been a discussion of extending the [presidential] term of office or postponing the election," said Mahfud in a statement via his official YouTube channel, Monday, March 7.

Mahfud also claimed that his side had never talked of the proposed presidential term extension to three terms or for 1-2 years.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, he went on, had even long warned the cabinet that the 2024 elections should be held as scheduled."The President asked me as the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs and the Home Affairs Minister, as well as the Head of BIN (State Intelligence Agency), to ensure that the 2024 elections run safely and smoothly," Mahfud remarked.

The proposed election delay of up to two years met with support from a number of parties, including Golkar Party chair Airlangga Hartarto and PAN chair Zulkifli Hasan.

They argued that the national economy was not yet stable in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic so the 2024 General Elections needed to be delayed for the government to focus on economic recovery efforts. However, the request was rejected by other parties, viz. NasDem, PKS, Democrat, PPP, and PDIP.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1568028/mahfud-md-says-no-talks-about-2024-elections-delay-within-gov