Differences in election supervision in Aceh and other districts/cities

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Aceh has special features in the regional head election (Pilkada) monitoring system compared to other regions in Indonesia.

The main difference lies in the authority and structure of election supervisors which adapt to the specifics of Aceh as a region with special autonomy.

In Aceh, the provincial level regional government is called the Aceh Government, not the Provincial Government. This designation is used officially, including on letterheads. Meanwhile, the provincial level legislative institution is known as the Aceh People’s Representative Council (DPRA).

The name of the legislative institution in Aceh does not use the word “region” like in other provinces, for example the DKI Jakarta DPRD. At the district/city level, the institution is called the Regency People’s Representative Council (DPRK).

Elections are different in Aceh and other regions

Aceh has special autonomy status as regulated in Law (UU) Number 11 of 2006 concerning Aceh Government. This law covers various aspects, including the implementation of elections.

In the context of elections, the Aceh Independent Election Commission (KIP) and district/city KIP function as part of the KPU. They are responsible for holding elections for president, vice president, members of the DPR, DPD, DPRA, DPRK, as well as regional head elections.

The election of provincial and district/city KPUD members in other regions is regulated in Article 20 of Law Number 7 of 2017. In this regulation, provincial KPUD members are elected by the KPU, while district/city KPUD members are elected by the provincial KPUD, thereby creating a hierarchical mechanism.

Meanwhile, the selection of members for election organizers in Aceh, such as KIP Aceh and Panwaslih, was carried out through a fit and proper test mechanism carried out by the DPRA.

This difference causes legal dualism in the selection of Election Supervisory members who can be proposed by the DPRA or Bawaslu. To overcome this problem, Qanun Number 6 of 2016 concerning Election Organizers in Aceh was formed, although it was still considered inadequate because Aceh used the term qanun, not Regional Regulations (Perda).

For this reason, the election monitoring institution in Aceh is called the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslih), not Bawaslu, in accordance with the Aceh Government Law (UUPA). The Aceh Panwaslih is tasked with supervising the election of governor, mayor and regent, as well as ensuring that all stages of the regional elections run according to the rules of Islamic law in Aceh.

This difference reflects Aceh’s specificity in carrying out its governance, which also includes aspects of election supervision. However, both Panwaslih Aceh and Bawaslu in other regions still have the same main task, namely ensuring the integrity of elections and keeping the democratic process running fairly and transparently.

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Also read: Get to know the role and function of Bawaslu at the provincial, district/city level

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Reporter: M. Hilal Eka Saputra Harahap
Editor: Alviansyah Pasaribu
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