VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: The Shanghai Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) conducted the 2024 General Election voting on Wednesday (14/2) at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI) Shanghai. PPLN Shanghai member Marcellino Enrique Suprapto said the Overseas Voting Station (TPSLN) in Shanghai was open from morning to evening.

"For the polling stations, we are open from 8am to 5pm," Marcellino told Voice of Indonesia in the Indonesia Voting Special Program on Wednesday (14/2/2024) in Jakarta.

Marcellino said that what was different from other overseas polling stations was that the polling station in Shanghai had a waiting room and a voting room on different floors.

"The waiting room and the voting room are in different places. Maybe that's what makes it different from Indonesia. This is due to permit limitations, and we also have to use the premise of the Consulate General in Shanghai to vote," he explained.

In addition, Marcellino revealed the high enthusiasm of the Indonesian people to exercise their voting rights in the 2024 elections, as seen from the Indonesian citizens who came from various provinces in China.

"Because we also open for five provinces Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shanghai, Anhui and Zhejiang. A lot of out-of-towners have also come here to vote. So even those from out of town came to vote," Marcellino explained.

In the PPLN Shanghai working area, Marcellino explained that there are three methods, namely, polling stations, mobile ballot boxes (KSK) and posts. He also revealed that to avoid the secrecy of votes, for the delivery of ballots by post, citizens are required to vote immediately when the ballots arrive at the location.

According to the report, the number of Permanent Voters List (DPT) in PPLN Shanghai reached 844, 258 voters used the Postal method, and 84 through KSK.

"That does not include the Additional Voters List (DPTb)," he explained.

VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesians began voting for a new president on Wednesday, with three candidates battling to lead Southeast Asia's biggest economy and the third-largest democracy in the world. The relocation of the archipelago's capital from Jakarta to Nusantara on the island of Borneo and the fight against corruption are two key issues in the election that will determine who succeeds President Joko Widodo afer a decade in power.

Here are the candidates:

- Prabowo Subianto

Prabowo Subianto, 72, of the Advanced Indonesia Coalition is the frontrunner in the contest, with polls projecting he will win a majority. He currently serves as defence minister afer losing to Widodo in the 2014 and 2019 elections.

Schooled internationally, the defence chief is a retired military general who was fired in 1998 for allegedly ordering the kidnapping of tens of pro-democracy activists in unrest following the fall of Suharto.

Together with President Widodo's 36-year-old son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his vice presidential candidate, Subianto has been outspoken about carrying on the incumbent leader's policies. Subianto has pledged to eradicate childhood stunting due to malnutrition by ofering free lunch to students, one of his most popular campaign programmes. While the prevalence of stunting has been falling, it remained at 21.6 percent in 2022.

The defence chief has also committed to maintaining a nickel ore export ban imposed by Widodo to increase national income from the mining sector and turn Indonesia into a developed nation.

"In less than two years, our income has increased 10 times to $33.3 billion because of this," Subianto said at a campaign event.

He has also changed his public persona to woo voters, using a slick social media strategy that has seen videos of him dancing go viral. It has transformed his image from a figure of strength to what some users have called a "cute grandpa".

- Anies Baswedan

Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan has portrayed himself as the anti-establishment candidate in Indonesia's presidential campaign, climbing to second place in polls on the back of a message that includes opposing a costly relocation of the capital to Borneo. That line of attack has seen his stock rise, and he is now polling in second as the main challenger to Subianto.

Anies Baswedan, 54, is nominated by a coalition in which his National Democratic Party is supported by two Islamic parties. He is popular with conservative Muslims and Islamists in the Muslim-majority country. Baswedan has repeatedly claimed democracy has sufered under Widodo's rule. The former minister of education also opposes the idea of moving the capital to Borneo. 

Baswedan has promoted pouring money into more than a dozen existing cities to boost economic equality instead of developing a new capital from scratch. However, Baswedan previously courted controversy in Jakarta's 2017 governor election when he faced Christian candidate Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and was accused of stoking religious divides.

- Ganjar Pranowo

Ganjar Pranowo pushed his humble background to emerge as a leading Indonesian presential candidate, but his campaign has flared out in the lead-up to the election.

The former governor of Central Java for two terms, Pranowo was seen as Subianto's main opponent afer being nominated as the candidate for a coalition led by Widodo's ruling Indonesia Democracy of Struggle Party (PDI-P). Baswedan has since overtaken him in the polls, however.

The 55-year-old silver-haired politician is focusing on bread-and-butter issues, prioritising access to healthcare, housing and food. He has picked current chief security minister Mahfud MD as his running mate and put corruption eradication high on his campaign agenda.

Like Subianto, he is promising to carry on Widodo's policies, including moving the capital. Pranowo and Mahfud are the only candidates who have experience in three areas of power: legislative, executive and judicial. Initially viewed as the presidential frontrunner, he lost support over his opposition to Israel's participation in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup last year, which Indonesia was set to host but lost the rights over the issue.

Sumber : AFP

VOInews, Hong Kong: The 2024 Indonesian general election voting through polling stations for the Hong Kong and Macau regions of China officially closed on Tuesday night (13/2/2024). The polling stations closed at 19.00 local time.

Voinews, Jakarta: The General Elections Commission (KPU) said on Tuesday that voting for the 2024 General Elections could be delayed in Demak, Central Java, and Paniai, Central Papua, due to disaster and logistics damage.

KPU member Betty Epsilon Idroos said that the commission is still awaiting the decision of the KPU Office in Demak regarding voting in view of the floods that hit the region for almost a week and displaced around 21,000 people.

"They said a decision has been made, and a letter will be sent to the KPU on whether they will hold make-up elections or not," she informed.

In addition to Demak, she said that voting could also potentially be postponed in Paniai due to damaged ballot papers. Therefore, make-up elections could likely be held later.

"The law allows for delays due to natural disasters or other disruptions, such as force majeure or compelling circumstances. We will see in what condition they are," she explained.

Idroos, however, did not confirm when the make-up elections will be held, saying her commission is still waiting for reports from the two regions.

Indonesia will hold the 2024 General Elections on February 14, with around 204.8 million voters expected to participate.

Voters will elect a president and vice president, as well as members of the House of Representatives (DPR), Regional Representatives Council (DPD), and Regional Legislative Councils (DPRD) at the province, city, and district levels. ( Antara)