ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute: ‘2020 Pilkada: Regional Elections Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic’ - 15 December 2020, 15.00-16.30 (SGT)

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Indonesians will go to the polls on 9 December 2020 to vote for their regional leaders. As many as 734 nominee pairs have registered as candidate pairs for the 2020 Pilkada, which will be held simultaneously in nine provinces, 224 districts, and 37 cities. Among the candidates, there are also 27 solo candidates and 124 candidates related to political families. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting the preparation process. Voting was scheduled to take place on September 23, 2020. However, this was postponed to December 9, 2020. In early September, officers from the central and local offices of the General Election Commission (KPU) as well as the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) contracted the virus. Many running candidates have also tested positive during the campaign. In this webinar, three ISEAS researchers will share their observations on the process and reflection of quick count results, focusing on the city of Medan, South Tangerang, and Solo. The three cities arguably can gauge how dynastic politics is at work in Indonesia. They will also examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the regional election process and outcomes.