Home Minister Tito Karnavian reminded acting regional heads on Wednesday that they must report to the ministry by mid-July at the latest, or 40 days before the candidate registration, if they planned to contest the simultaneous regional head elections in November.

Speaking at a meeting of the Regency Administrations Association (Apkasi) meeting in Jakarta, Tito said reporting their planned candidacy was necessary to enable their resignation and replacement by late September, when the General Elections Commission (KPU) is expected to announce the final candidate list.

“Any acting regional heads [with electoral ambitions] must report by July 17,” he said, as quoted by Kompas.com, adding, “I have received 10 such reports so far.”

According to the KPU’s schedule for the 2024 regional head elections, registration opens from Aug. 27 to 29 for candidates backed by a political party.

Potential candidates are required to resign as interim regional head as well as from their original civil service (ASN) posts prior to their temporary appointments before Sept. 22, when the poll body is sated to announce the final list of verified candidates.

Voters head to the polls on Nov. 27, when the country’s first simultaneous regional head elections is to be held in more than 500 provinces, regencies and municipalities.

“If you want to run, that’s fine, but [understand that] we need time for further processing,” Tito told the meeting.

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