The Special Committee for the Elections Law Bill Decided That the 2019 Concurrent Elections Will be Held in April

The Chief of the Special Committee for the Elections Law Bill, Muhammad Lukman Edy, says that he and his team has decided that the 2019 Concurrent Elections will be held on the third or fourth week of April. Lukman also says that the exact date of the election will be decided by the Election Commission (KPU).

“We have decided that the Election will be held in April, on the third or fourth week of April. So, it’s either 17^th or 24^th of April. But the exact date will be decided by KPU,” says Lukman after a hearing session at the Parliamentary House, Jakarta (04/17).

Previously, members of the Special Committee provide the government and EMBs the option to run the 2019 Concurrent Elections in June, similar to the 2014 Presidential Election. However, the Chairman of KPU, Arief Budiman, says that if the elections held in June, then the end of the term of office for the members of the Parliament and President (and Vice-President) will already be exceeded. In addition, the Constitutional Court will need more time to handle any dispute regarding the result of the Elections, and there might be a second-round for the Presidential Election.

Arief hopes that the Elections Law Bill will already be implemented by April 28^th 2017. If it is getting another delay, then KPU will also delay the Elections and cram the whole electoral phases within a short timeframe.