Caroline, a 19-year-old student, said on Wednesday that she enjoyed free ice cream offered by a shop in Kota Kasablanka mall, South Jakarta, although she did not know about the promotion at first.

"I just knew about it from my older sibling after I went to the polling station," Caroline said.

Other people, like Nicholas, a 30-year-old programmer, intentionally went to the mall with his mother to enjoy the election-day holiday after casting their votes in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta.

However, Nicholas said the promos were not the main reason they cast their votes. "It would be silly to vote just for free food and beverages," Nicholas said.

The same thought was also shared by Mustofa, 50, from Kalibata, South Jakarta who took his family for lunch.

"For us, these promotions are just complementary. We took them while they were offered. If there weren’t any promos, it would still be fine with us," Mustofa said.

Meanwhile, Sundi, a 21-year-old student who was enjoying a free coffee, thought the promotions were beneficial for the election itself.

"We have to show our inked fingers to get the deal. In some ways, it encourages people to cast their votes," Suni said. (kkk/evi)

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