President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reassured that the government would provide the necessary funding for the 2024 general election, especially if presidential voting carries on to a second round.

The President made the statement following a recent budget approval from the House of Representatives that only granted the General Elections Commission (KPU) with enough funding to cover one round of voting.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway trial run on Wednesday, Jokowi said that the government had prepared the budget for next year’s general election, slated for Feb. 14.

“If it needs to be two rounds, then we’ll have two. Just ask the Finance Ministry, we will prepare [the budget],” Jokowi said.

The 1945 Constitution mandated that a presidential and vice-presidential candidate pair must win at least 50 percent of votes nationwide and at least 20 percent in each province to win the race. If no candidate garners over 50 percent of the votes, the race continues between the top two pairs.

Read also: Who to choose? First-time voters prep for 2024 election

On Tuesday, House Commission II overseeing home affairs approved a Rp 28.36 trillion (US$1.84 billion) budget for the KPU in 2024, falling short of the initial proposal of Rp 44 trillion.

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