South West Papua is one of the youngest provinces in the Republic of Indonesia which was formed as a New Autonomous Region. In November 2024, this new province will hold regional head elections using the general election system for the first time. Public enthusiasm is quite high considering that this is the first time a democratic party will be held in South West Papua. The General Election Commission as the organizer of simultaneous regional head elections throughout Indonesia has the responsibility to oversee the general election process. Idham Holik as the Head of the Technical Division of the General Election Commission of the Republic of Indonesia was also flown directly to West Papua to oversee the registration process for regional head candidates who will take part in the political contest at the end of the year.
The simultaneous regional head election process which was also held in South West Papua Province has started since mid-2024 even though the general election was supposed to be held at the end of the year. One of the quite crucial processes is the registration of regional head candidates and also verifying them. South West Papua as one of the New Autonomous Regions which also has Special Autonomy in the implementation of government has one of its own systems, namely how regional head candidates who will register for the general election must be Indigenous Papuans. The policy was also approved by the General Election Commission of the Republic of Indonesia and this bureau will oversee that special autonomy is implemented transparently in the general election process later.
The organizers of the general election in the Province of South West Papua Province were assessed by the Head of the Technical Division of the General Election Commission of the Republic of Indonesia as ready to start the general election process with the registration of regional head candidates. All requirements and files that must be fulfilled by the organizers were declared complete and even related to security issues in South West Papua Province were declared 100% ready to hold a five-yearly democratic party. The first simultaneous regional head elections participated in by this new province have been declared to be running after the registration of regional head candidates was completed.
The report stated that the number of regional head candidate pairs, namely governor and deputy governor candidates in the Province of South West Papua Province is five pairs. Each of them has registered and carried out verification and has been declared to have passed as a regional head candidate to be elected in the simultaneous regional head election at the end of the year. The organizers hope that the candidates who have officially registered will compete healthily and pay attention to all aspects of society, especially social and security aspects whose conduciveness must be maintained together. So that the first regional head election held in the Province of South West Papua Province will run smoothly without any significant problems.
