Ballot booth vote-casting by Germany's Indonesians on Feb 10: PPLN

Due to the fact that Germany's postal service is so good that Indonesia's General Elections Commission (KPU) disagrees on a proposed opening for mobile ballot boxes

The Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) in Berlin stated on Wednesday that eligible voters in Germany could cast their votes through postal service on January 10 or at ballot booths on February 10.

According to Head of PPLN-Berlin Roni Susman, Germany's postal service is good, so the ballot papers will hopefully be received by the Overseas Polling Station Working Committee (KPPSLN) within a day.

"Due to the fact that Germany's postal service is so good that Indonesia's General Elections Commission (KPU) disagrees on a proposed opening for mobile ballot boxes," he added.

The PPLN-Berlin recorded that 4,049 registered voters would cast their votes at voting booths, while 496 voters have planned to cast their votes through postal service, Susman remarked.

Some 1,075 of the 4,545 registered voters are concentrated in Berlin, he noted, adding that the PPLN-Berlin serves voters in Berlin, Brandenburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Niedersachsen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Thüringen.

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Some 60 percent of the total number of voters in Berlin are university students, while the remaining 40 percent of the voters are employees.

Susman noted that PPLN had received the election logistics on December 29, 2023.

The KPU has announced that the presidential and parliamentary elections will be held simultaneously across Indonesia on February 14, 2024.

The commission has officially set a 75-day election campaign period from November 28, 2023, to February 10, 2024, for the three pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates.

All participating political parties and presidential contenders have pledged to conduct peaceful presidential and parliamentary elections.

As part of its efforts to make voters aware of the three candidate pairs' political pledges, the commission has organized five rounds of debates ahead of the presidential election.

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The first and second rounds were held on December 12 and December 22, 2023. The third and fourth rounds will take place on January 7 and January 21, 2024, and the fifth round will be held on February 4, 2024.

Three pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates are contesting the presidential election: Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar, Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka, and Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD.

Baswedan and Iskandar have been nominated with the support of the NasDem Party, National Awakening Party (PKB), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and Ummat Party.

Meanwhile, Subianto and Raka have the backing of the Gerindra Party and a coalition of parties, including Golkar, National Mandate Party (PAN), Democratic Party, and Gelora Party.

Pranowo and Mahfud have the support of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), United Development Party, Perindo Party, and Hanura Party.

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