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Campaign banners cleared as election silence begins
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Jakarta city workers remove election campaign banners on Feb. 11, 2024, in Menteng, Jakarta. The Jakarta administration has deployed personnel from several agencies to remove campaign banners during the silent period for the 2024 general election between Feb. 11 and 13, ahead of voting day. (Antara/Sulthony Hasanuddin)
With the campaign season for the presidential and legislative elections having closed on Saturday, authorities have started to remove campaign banners and other paraphernalia as the country enters three days of election silence before voters head to the polls next week.
On Sunday, the Jakarta Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) began taking down campaign flags, banners, posters and billboards of various sizes across the capital.
“As you know, no campaign-related activities are allowed during the cooling-off period. We are combing through the streets of Jakarta to remove campaign banners,” Jakarta Satpol PP head Arifin said in a statement. “We have deployed 2,300 people [for the operation].”
The Jakarta administration also enlisted the help of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), the General Elections Commission (KPU) and the campaign teams of the election contenders.
Kicking off the operation at midnight, authorities began with taking down banners on five of the city’s main thoroughfares – Jl. Medan Merdeka, Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman, Jl. S. Parman and Jl M.T. Haryono – before sweeping through smaller streets, flyovers, pedestrian bridges and public facilities.
“We also needed to pay attention to the safety factor. That’s why we have prepared cranes [to help] remove campaign banners that were installed in high places,” Arifin said.
Sofyan, 40, a Public Facility Maintenance Agency worker at the North Gandaria subdistrict in South Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post that the subdistrict administration mobilized three four-man teams starting at midnight on Sunday to clean up campaign paraphernalia installed around the neighborhood.
