KPU Klungkung reminds residents of ‘no-selfie’ policy at the polling station

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (C) taking a selfie with his supporters during an election campaign stop in  Central Java province. Photo by JUNI KRISWANTO / AFP)
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (C) taking a selfie with his supporters during an election campaign stop in Central Java province. Photo by JUNI KRISWANTO / AFP)

It’s no secret that capturing the perfect selfie has become a national pursuit in Indonesia. We were reminded of this just last week when frenzied Javanese housewives almost trampled over each other in their desperation to take a picture with President Jokowi on the election trail.

With just a day to go until Indonesia’s presidential election, the General Election Commission (KPU) of the Klungkung regency in Bali stressed that ‘voting selfies’ should absolutely not be a part of the electoral experience.

At a press conference yesterday, I Gusti Lanang Mega Saskara, the chairman of KPU Klungkung, said that cell phones and cameras would not be permitted inside the voting room.

“For cell phones and cameras, you can ask the polling officers to look after them while you’re voting and then take them back again afterwards. This is concerning the principle of secrecy in making choices, a principle that would be violated if shared on social media,” he said, as quoted by Nusa Bali.

As per the official voting regulations, voters are prohibited from documenting their choices in the voting booths.

Tomorrow’s election will be the culmination of months of campaigning for incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and his running mate, Ma’ruf Amin, as well as ex-general Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, Sandiaga Uno.

Although some differ in how big of a lead they have given the incumbent, virtually all pollsters agree that Jokowi is currently on track to win a second term.



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