27 Nov 2024: A Holiday on Which to Vote? 

The Indonesian Government is considering Wednesday, 27 November 2024, as a national holiday to facilitate smooth polling on the nationwide and regional elections in 545 regions on that date.

As reported by BeritaBali.com, the State Secretary, Prasetyo Hadi, speaking on Friday, 08 November, said plans to declare a holiday on election day are being finalized. Adding: “Yes, the plan for November 27 will be a national holiday. We will coordinate further with the KPU (National Election Bureau) and the Ministry of Home Affairs to finalize this.”

Prasetyo said he hoped a final decision would soon be made and announced so that the public might prepare accordingly.

“This is the first time that regional elections have been conducted on the same day on a nationwide basis. For this reason, we need to ensure that such a decision (to declare a public holiday) is well thought through so everything can run smoothly,” said Prasetyo.

The 27 November Regional Election (Pilkada) will see voting take place in 545 regions across 37 provinces, 415 regencies, and 93 cities.

Former Minister of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform, Abdullah Azwar Anas, explained that the determination to make election day a national holiday is set forth by Presidential Regulation. He said he hoped that community participation in the 2024 local elections would be enhanced by declaring an election.

The decision to declare the holiday rests with the General Election Commission (KPU) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (Ministry of Home Affairs).

Prasetyo expects all parties to support the smooth implementation of simultaneous local elections and public holidays. The election day, he said, marks an important moment in the Indonesian democratic process. “Just pray that everything goes smoothly,” he concluded. 

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