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Lawmakers want three days off to vote in local elections
They made the request at their first meeting.
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Supreme Court Chief Justice Syarifuddin (front, seventh left) leads lawmakers-elect in taking their oaths of office for the 2024-2029 term of the House of Representatives during an inauguration ceremony on Oct. 1, 2024 at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
At their first-ever meeting on Wednesday after being inaugurated less than a month before, members of the House of Representatives’ legislation body (Baleg) requested a three-day leave of absence in late November to exercise their right to vote in the nationwide regional elections.
Coming from various parts of the country, Baleg’s members would need time to travel to where they were registered as voters and “to focus” on casting their votes, said Ahmad Iman Sukri, one of Baleg’s deputy chairs.
“Many Baleg members hope that their schedules can be cleared for three days for the Nov. 27 elections,” Iman told reporters after Baleg’s first meeting, as quoted by kompas.com.
“This is so that they can focus on voting to ensure the success of the regional elections,” added Imran, a member of the National Awakening Party (PAN).
Baleg members met for the first time at the House complex in Jakarta on Wednesday with several housekeeping tasks on the agenda, including which bills to include in the prioritized National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) for their five-year tenure. The list must be ready before lawmakers go into recess on Dec. 6.
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Yet with the Nov. 27 regional elections only a month away, Baleg members also found time to request the three days off, though the body assured reporters that Prolegnas discussions were ongoing.
