Speaking during a KPU event on Tuesday, the outgoing President said the increased incentive was a form of appreciation for their hard work during the general elections in February, which saw the victory of president and vice-president elect Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the latter being Jokowi’s eldest son.

"All election officials have successfully organized the presidential and legislative elections in a safe, smooth and orderly manner. KPU officials even started preparing for the upcoming regional elections before the whole process of the general elections was over," Jokowi said as reported by Kompas.

He went on to say that although KPU officials had to work really hard, there had not been any incentive raise for them since the 2014 general elections.

"Once I knew about this, I rushed to sign a presidential regulation to increase [KPU officials] bonuses," he said.

According to the presidential regulation, Jokowi will raise the incentives for KPU officials by 50 percent. The regulation stated that KPU officials will receive one-time bonuses between Rp 6.6 million (US$427) and Rp 77.6 million depending on their positions.

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The move, however, has raised many eyebrows as it was carried out amid controversies surrounding various changes to the election rules, including nomination thresholds and the minimum age requirement for candidates.

Secretary-general of the Independent Election Monitoring Committee (KIPP), Kaka Suminta, said that although KPU officials deserved a pay raise considering their heavy workloads, the President should have increased their bonuses after all of the regional head election processes were over.

"Although the bonuses come from taxpayer’s money, it seems like a bribe from the President to KPU officials because the timing was off. The pay raise was done during a crucial step before the elections," Kaka said on Tuesday.

Next week, the KPU will open the registration for candidates seeking to run in the upcoming regional head elections and the agency will announce the final names on the ballots on Sept. 22.

Jokowi's son-in-law, Bobby Nasution, is seeking to run in the North Sumatra gubernatorial election, while his youngest son Kaesang Pangarep is eyeing a vice gubernatorial spot in Central Java.

Kaesang’s candidacy, however, is still up in the air following the Constitutional Court’s recent ruling to maintain the age limit of 30 years for regional head candidates stipulated in the Regional Elections Law. Kaesang will reach 30 this December.

In February, Jokowi also raised the incentives of members of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) a mere two days before the presidential and legislative elections; a move done amid rampant allegations of electoral violations. (nal)