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KPU Jakarta to hold first gubernatorial debate in December
The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) will set three debates for the three candidates in the Jakarta gubernatorial election to face off in putting forward their programs for the capital, starting in December.
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From left to right, Anies Baswedan, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, Sandiaga Uno, Sylviana Murni, Djarot Saiful Hidayat and Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono take a "wefie" picture, which was uploaded to Anies' Path account, on Sept. 24. (tempo.co/Anies Baswedan's Path)
Safrin La Batu
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) will set three debates for the three candidates in the Jakarta gubernatorial election to face off in putting forward their programs for the capital, starting in December.
KPU Jakarta chairman Sumarno said his commission was currently arranging the topics to be addressed in the debates, which were expected to help shift the direction of the current political discourse to the matters that had direct impact on the public.
“We want to prepare the best [debates possible],” he said in a discussion in Central Jakarta on Saturday.
He added that the second debate would be held in January and the final debate in early February.
Voting day will take place on Feb. 15, 2017. The election is being contested by three candidate pairs: former Army major Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono and former Jakarta gubernatorial assistant for culture and tourism Sylviana Murni; incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and incumbent Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat; and former culture and education minister Anies Baswedan and businessman Sandiaga Uno.
(Read also:Armed police guard Ahok campaign)
Despite being looked up to by other regions in the country as a model for elections, the Jakarta election has been criticized by many as lacking substance on important issues in its political discourse.
A group named the Jakarta Discussion Forum, for example, said the discourse should change from matters pertaining to candidates’ private lives to issues that touched upon the concerns of Jakartans.
