VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo monitored the implementation of simultaneous regional head elections (pilkada) from the observation post in Polling Station 6 of Candisari, Semarang City, Central Java Province, on Wednesday.

Polling Station 6 was also the location where Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs Hadi Prabowo cast his vote for the election of governor and vice governor of Central Java.

After monitoring the voting process at the polling station, Kumolo held a teleconference with pilkada posts in several areas in Indonesia, including Sinjai in South Sulawesi Province, Jayapura in Papua Province, and the provinces of East Java and Maluku.

"The Ministry of Home Affairs has conducted monitoring for three days. We firstly ensure that the local budgets are disbursed on time, so that the operational work of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Elections Supervisory Committee, and police has been budgeted well," he remarked after monitoring the implementation of elections in Semarang City on Wednesday.

The teleconference was also attended by Secretary General of the Ministry of Home Affairs Hadi Prabowo, Chairman of the Elections Supervisory Agency Abhan, Head of Information Center of the Ministry of Home Affairs Bahtiar, and Mayor of Semarang Hendrar Prihadi.

Over 152 million Indonesians are expected to go to polls to elect 17 governors, 39 mayors, and 115 district heads for the 2018-2023 term during the simultaneous pilkada held in 171 regions across the country on Wednesday (June 27).

The government has declared the local election day as a national holiday.

Based on data of the KPU, the total number of eligible voters for the 2018 pilkada reaches 152,067,680, comprising some 76 million female voters and 75 million male voters.

The commission estimates that the total turnout will reach more than 70 percent.

The 17 provinces to hold pilkada are East Java, Central Java, West Java, East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sumatra, Riau, Maluku, Bali, Southeast Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, North Sumatra, Papua, North Maluku, and Lampung.

Indonesia had organized simultaneous pilkada peacefully in 2015 and 2017 respectively. (ANTARA)