People across 17 provinces, 39 cities and 115 districts in Indonesia on 27 June went to the polls to elect heads and deputy heads of the administrative units.

Indonesia's local election is seen as an important political event for the legislative and presidential elections scheduled for April 2019 (Source: Reuters)

The Indonesian government chose 27 June as a national holiday so that people can join the elections.

This is an important political event for the legislative and presidential elections scheduled for April 2019.  More than 171,000 police, nearly 37,000 soldiers and more than 756,000 security personnel were deployed to ensure security of the event.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo called on voters to uphold the spirit of unity to choose the right people, who will represent their voice and interests.

He asserted that the police and military forces will strictly uphold the principle of ensuring neutrality during the election process.

The President instructed the commanders of the Armed Forces and National Police, and the director of the Indonesian State Intelligence Agency to strictly abide by the rules to ensure objectivity and honesty of the elections’ results. 

He also asked people to strengthen their surveillance to ensure the objectivity of the elections.

(Source: VNA)