National and Regional Elections Separated Starting 2029, What is the Attitude of Regional Heads?

SUMEDANG, KOMPAS— The Constitutional Court officially decided that the implementation of national and regional elections will be conducted separately starting in 2029. The ruling, which was read in Jakarta on Thursday (26/6/2025), has garnered various responses from regional heads across different areas in Indonesia.

The Constitutional Court has decided that the simultaneous conduct of constitutional elections should involve separating national elections from local elections. This system must be implemented starting in 2029.

This is stated in Decision Number 135/PUU-XXII/2024 regarding the application submitted by the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem). The decision was pronounced during a session held on Thursday (26/6/2025) in the Plenary Room of the Constitutional Court.

Several regional heads participating in the second wave retreat organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Institute of Domestic Government in Jatinangor, Sumedang, West Java, also voiced their opinions. This four-day retreat for regional heads concluded on Thursday evening.

Bali Governor I Wayan Koster on Friday (27/6/2025) stated that the Constitutional Court's decision is final and must be implemented. He also emphasized the importance of the role of the DPR and the Ministry of Home Affairs in following up on the decision through legislative and administrative measures.

"The decision of the Constitutional Court must certainly be implemented. The follow-up will be discussed further by the House of Representatives, particularly regarding the revision of the law. The Ministry of Home Affairs will also certainly be involved in the discussion process. We in the regions will adhere to that decision," said Wayan.

In line with this, the Regent of Puncak Jaya, Yuni Wonda, considers this decision a historic step in the Indonesian electoral system. He emphasized that the wheels of government will not stop, even in the event of a vacancy in the regional head position before the regional elections are held.

"This is the first time in our history that we are separating national and regional elections in different years. Previously, everything was conducted simultaneously," he said.

Other regional heads from Papua, such as the Regent of Mimika, John Rettob, view this decision as having positive value. However, John also believes that this decision presents its own challenges, particularly concerning logistics and financing, especially in the Papua region.

"In my opinion, this could be a good thing, but there are challenges. The implementation of two national and regional elections means providing logistics twice, and certainly at a greater cost. Especially in Papua, logistics distribution is carried out by aircraft, so the costs will be significantly higher," said John.

Meanwhile, the Regent of South Bengkulu, Rifai Tajudin, believes that the Constitutional Court's decision must have undergone thorough examination. He emphasized the importance of compliance with the decisions that have been made constitutionally.

"Certainly, the government has assessed this from various aspects, both from the perspective of democracy and effectiveness. All considerations, both positive and negative, have been studied before this decision was made. We in the regions will comply and are ready to implement this decision," he stated.