Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said most of the country's governors wanted to keep the expensive, direct system of elections, defying the central government's intention to reinstate the indirect election.
Gamawan said the governors deemed the high-cost to the economy in direct elections as a consequence of democracy.
“According to some governors democracy is indeed expensive,” Gamawan told Antara after closing the two-day meeting in the Riau capital of Pekanbaru on Tuesday.
The governors, Gamawan added, considered gubernatorial elections through the provincial legislative council infringed the hard-won democracy and the spirit of reform.
Some of the governors said indirect elections would not necessarily cut the expenditures of gubernatorial candidates.
“Indirect elections were as expensive as direct elections as some governors had experienced. If that is the case they prefer direct elections,” Gamawan said.
He added, however, the governors' recommendation was only part of public opinions the government needed in its bid to eliminate high-cost economy of direct elections. Gamawan had earlier proposed reinstatement of indirect elections as an alternative.
Direct elections of governors, regents and mayors are prone to extra spending if a run-off is needed to decide a winner, not to mention a vote rerun if the Constitutional Court finds electoral violations. The East Java gubernatorial election last year is so far the most expensive polled, costing the province Rp 800 billion, excluding campaign spending.
In an attempt to cut costs, the central government has decided that elections in over 270 regions next year will take place simultaneously.
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