President allowed to endorse regional head candidates: Palace

"The rule of neutrality is specified to soldiers, police officers, and civil servants. Ministers, especially those registered as cadres of political parties, are permitted to endorse candidates and even join their electoral campaigns,"

President Prabowo Subianto is legally permitted to participate in an electoral campaign of regional head candidates as long as he does not employ state facilities, Head of the Presidential Communications Office, Hasan Nasbi, stated.

"The president and state officials are allowed to participate in an electoral campaign, provided that they are on leave and do not utilize the state facilities they are entitled to," he noted in a written message received in Jakarta on Sunday.

He made the statement in response to the controversy sparked by a viral video of Prabowo endorsing a candidate pair running for the leadership of Central Java Province.

Nasbi underlined that it is simply natural for the head of state to show his support for a candidate, considering that he is still holding the position of chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party.

He added that such a tendency is also evident among ministers, saying that they are often inclined to endorse regional leader candidates that are backed by their political parties.

Drawing attention to the impartiality rule, the official explained that it only restricts the political maneuvers of civil servants, police officers, and soldiers.

"The rule of neutrality is specified to soldiers, police officers, and civil servants. Ministers, especially those registered as cadres of political parties, are permitted to endorse candidates and even join their electoral campaigns," he pointed out.

Earlier on September 23, the General Election Commission (KPU) announced that a total of 1,553 candidate pairs had been registered as contestants of the 2024 regional head elections, scheduled to take place simultaneously in 37 provinces, 415 districts, and 93 cities on November 27.

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