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Health protocol violations mar 2020 election campaigns, despite new KPU rule
The General Election Commission (KPU) issued a new regulation specifically to enforce the COVID-19 health protocols for the 2020 regional elections, but questions remain as to how effective they actually were.
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An official presents ballot papers on July 22 during a simulation for the 2020 regional elections at the General Elections Commission in Central Jakarta. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
W
hile the 2020 simultaneous regional elections are just around the corner, a continuous string of health protocol violations has inevitably raised questions about holding the country’s first-ever electoral contest during the COVID-19 health emergency. With less than a week to spare, however, Indonesia still intends to go ahead with the polls on Dec. 9, the largest since 2015.
Since May, the General Elections Commission (KPU) has been issuing a series of health protocol regulations aimed to prevent the polls from becoming a “superspreader” event.
Election organizers have been keen to keep a lid on each stage of the election process. This includes the campaign season, which ends this Saturday for all candidates after 71 days of campaigning that began on Sept. 26.
However, this year’s campaign events and activities have managed to draw public attention for all the wrong reasons. Candidates, their campaign teams and even their supporters have neglected the COVID-19 health protocols, with many still preferring physical rallies and “meet and greets” over online campaigns.
Experts and critics have said repeatedly that these health protocol violations only put their lives in danger, as well as the lives of their supporters, but these warnings seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
What regulations apply to the 2020 campaigns?
