The KPU Will Hold Five Presidential and Vice-Presidential Debates

The General Election Commission (KPU) Commissioner, Mochammad Afifuddin, has announced that five presidential and vice-presidential debates will be held for the 2024 Presidential Election. Three debates will focus on presidential candidates, and two on vice-presidential candidates.

"So, a total of five debates, exactly the same as in the 2019 Presidential Election," Afif stated during a virtual press conference on Thursday (2/10/2023).

Afif mentioned that the KPU would allow other venues besides the KPU headquarters to host the debates. However, for now, only five debates will be held by the KPU.

These presidential and vice-presidential debates will take place during the 2024 Presidential Election campaign period, from November 20, 2023, to February 10, 2024.

Preparations for the 2024 Presidential Election candidate debates are not yet 100% complete, as the KPU still needs to discuss with the campaign teams of each prospective candidate pair.

Meanwhile, the KPU is currently discussing the locations for the debates. Afif emphasized that the presidential and vice-presidential debates will not only be held in Jakarta but also in other cities.

"We are considering it, but this must be coordinated to see if there are any objections from each candidate. For example, if we propose a city outside Jakarta, we need to see if there are any objections," Afif explained.

Environmental issues are also being considered as a key topic for the upcoming presidential and vice-presidential debates.

"We haven't decided yet, but 99.9% environmental issues will be prioritized as one of the main discussion topics," Afif said.

Meanwhile, the KPU has received registrations from three prospective presidential and vice-presidential candidate pairs for the 2024 Presidential Election: Anies Baswedan-Muhaimin Iskandar, Ganjar Pranowo-Mahfud MD, and Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

Next, the KPU will schedule the official announcement of the presidential and vice-presidential candidate pairs on Monday (11/13/2023). The announcement of the candidate pairs' ballot numbers will be held on Tuesday (11/14/2023).