Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Member of the General Elections Commission (KPU) Idham Holik said the rerun elections for regions where "empty box" wins will commence in September 2025.
Idham said the empty ballot boxes won in two regions, out of the 36 regions with uncontested regional elections. These regions are Pangkalpinang City and the Bangka Regency.
"Out of 36 districts/cities, only the Pangkalpinang City Regional Head Election and the Bangka Regency Regional Head Election had the empty ballot boxes garnering more than 50 percent of valid votes," said Idham when contacted on Monday, December 2, 2024.
Idham mentioned that the revote is held in accordance with Constitutional Court decision number 126/PUU-XXII/2024, obliging that a revote must be held within a maximum of one year after the results of the previous election where the empty box wins.
Idham mentioned that the KPU will draft technical regulations for the rerun of the regional election after consulting with Commission II of the House.
The KPU member also explained that the two regions will temporarily led by acting regional heads. "In the absence of elected candidate pairs, the government will assign acting governors, acting regents, or acting mayors as regional heads," Idham said, quoting Regional Election Law.
This was not the first time empty ballots won a regional election, Idham said. In 2018, the empty ballot box was also declared the winner in the Makassar City regional head election.
The Pangkalpinang City election was contested by the single candidate pair Maulan Akil-Masagus Hakim. This single candidate was supported by 9 political parties: PDIP, Golkar, Gerindra, NasDem, PAN, PKB, PPP, PKS, and Perindo. Based on the KPU's real count, the empty ballot boxes garnered 57.98 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, the single candidate received 42.02 percent of the total votes.
The Bangka Regency election was also participated by a single candidate pair, which lost to empty ballot box with 42.75 percent and 57.25 percent, respectively.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/1947740/kpu-revote-for-empty-box-wins-in-september-202