COVID-19 Pandemic and Simultaneous Regional Head Elections in Indonesia

The COVID-19 pandemic hurts almost all sectors, particularly the government, like the simultaneous Regional Head Election. The Indonesian government, along with the General Election Commission and the Indonesian House of Representatives through the Government Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 2 of 2020, agreed to postpone it until December 2020 to reduce the spread of COVID-19. To date, the pandemic has not ended yet, considered that the delay might be ineffective. Another issue was the emergence of other simultaneous elections in 2024, in which several steps have begun to be implemented this year. This study aimed to discuss the issue of the simultaneous regional head elections during the pandemic. It raised two issues. First, while the elections were still held to avoid vacancies, their implementation must be adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, while the elections were postponed until the pandemic ends, the Acting Officer, as another alternative, should be given full authority to the Acting Officer so that the government could be administered optimally. The study combined doctrinal and empirical legal research. The primary data sources were the laws and regulations relating to the Regional Head Elections in Indonesia and interviews from the Election Supervisory Committee in Surabaya, Indonesia. This study showed that the simultaneous elections during the COVID-19 pandemic could still avoid vacancies, and its implementation was adjusted to the pandemic situation. Therefore, it implemented strict health protocols despite the more detailed and comprehensive-time simulations to adjust the overall implementation of the upcoming election stages. Also, the internet infrastructure was prevalent to support the elections. Finally, the government established the guidelines for Regional Head Election based on the COVID-19 health protocol. KEYWORDS: COVID-19 Pandemic, Regional Head Election, Regional Head Authority.