WNAM MONITORING: The presidential election in Indonesia entered a cooling-off period on Sunday, just three days ahead of the elections, following 75 days of intense campaign rallies and mandatory debates.
The General Election Commission (KPU) has imposed a ban on all candidates and political parties from holding rallies or campaigning on any platform during this period.
All community members are prohibited from verbally encouraging or discouraging voters or using any other means to influence them during the quiet period leading up to election day.
This regulation also extends to media companies, pollsters, and social media accounts, which are forbidden from broadcasting or publishing content favoring or attacking candidates.
Any violation of these rules can be deemed a criminal offense, carrying penalties of up to four years in prison and a maximum fine of Rp 48 million.
The KPU has registered 204.8 million voters, including 1.75 million residing in foreign countries, for the February 14 election.
These voters will cast their ballots at more than 820,000 voting booths in 514 cities and regencies nationwide to elect the president, senators, and members of parliament at the national, provincial, and regency levels.
Indonesian foreign missions have also set up voting booths and facilitated absentee voting for those living overseas.
During the election, voters will receive separate ballot papers for the presidential and parliamentary elections, featuring mostly unfamiliar faces of legislative candidates, making it one of the most complex elections in the world.
There are over 9,000 candidates contesting for the 580 House of Representatives seats. The number of House seats was recently increased by five due to the establishment of four new provinces in Papua.
Simultaneously, 668 candidates are competing for the Regional Legislative Council (DPD), equivalent to the Senate in the United States. Each province is represented by four senators, resulting in 152 DPD seats available for grabs.
Voters will also need to choose among dozens of candidates vying for provincial and mayoral legislative councils during the election day.
