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From motorcycles to cars, village chief candidates run after votes with door prizes
Forget conventional campaign events: candidates running for village chief position in Rembun village in Pekalongan, Central Java, have chosen to offer door prizes instead to attract villagers’ votes.
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Motorcycles as door prizes lure voters in the village head election in Rembun, Pekalongan, Central Java. (kompas.com/Ari Himawan Sarono)
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orget conventional campaign events: Candidates running for village chief in Rembun village in Pekalongan, Central Java, have opted for door prizes to attract votes.
Rembun, located in Siwalan district, is among 206 villages in Pekalongan that recently held simultaneous village head elections.
Three candidates were running for Rembun’s top seat, and each of them offered respectable door prizes for the lucky voters.
The first candidate, Kaena, offered nine motorcycles for nine lucky voters, while Subeki, the second candidate, had prepared four new motorcycles for four voters winning the lottery.
But the third candidate, Nur Hayyi, outdid his two rivals, offering five new motorcycles, a car and three umrah (minor haj) travel packages as door prizes.
“I used my own money as well as donations from my relatives [for the prizes]. These gifts are for my voters, each of whom have already obtained a lottery ticket beforehand,” Hayyi said as quoted by kompas.com.
He added, however, that there would be no lucky draw and hence no door prizes should unless he wins the election. “If I lose the election, I will return the prizes to the dealers,” he added.
Rusdi, a resident of Rembun village, said he believed the village chief candidates had organized door prize events to secure votes from the villagers.
“This is the first time that a village chief [candidate] is giving away a car in return for victory,” he said, “It’s very interesting and also increases people’s motivation to cast their ballots.” (dpk)
