Kupastuntas.co, Lampung English - Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, said there were 17 governors whose term of office ends in September 2023, including Lampung Governor Arinal Djunaidi.

"In September, 17 governors will end their term of office," said Tito, during the Border Management Coordination Meeting in Ancol, Jakarta, Thursday, May 25, 2023.

In addition, there are 153 regional heads at the mayor and regent level whose term of office will also end in September 2023. So, the total number of regional heads whose term of office has ended is 170.

Tito said the government would appoint acting governors, mayors and regents to fill the vacant positions until the 2024 Pilkada.

Tito appealed to echelon I officials who are interested in becoming acting governors to register. The same thing applies to echelon II officials who wish to serve as acting regents or mayors. "Echelon II, if you are interested in becoming acting regent/mayor, register, they will be tested later," he said.

When contacted, Assistant I for Government and Welfare of the Provincial Government of Lampung, Qodratul Ikhwan, said that until now his party had not received an official notification from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the end of the term of office of the governors and regents/mayors.

"Until now there has been no official notification from the central government. We don't know the details yet. Because the initial discourse will expire according to the term of office, and the second according to the law will expire at the end of December 2023," said Qodratul, Thursday 25 May 2023.

He said, if later Governor Arinal has entered the end of his term of office, the central government will appoint an official to ensure that the wheels of government in the regions are not disrupted.

"Later on, the central government will appoint acting governors. Usually those who fill in are from central officials. But seeing the current trend, regions can propose, but they have to be at the echelon I level and that's only the provincial secretary," he explained.

The Head of the Government Bureau and Regional Autonomy for the Regional Secretariat of Lampung Province, Binarti Bintang, added that in principle his party was still waiting for an official letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs for the end of the term of office for governors and regents/mayors.

"In principle, we are waiting for an official letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs. As for regents, according to their appointment letter, the end of their term of office in 2023 is Tanggamus Regency," he said.

Previously, there were 8 regents/mayors in Lampung Province whose term of office would be shortened by the impact of the simultaneous regional elections in 2024. According to the schedule of the Indonesian General Election Commission, the simultaneous regional elections will be held on November 27, 2024.

There are seven regents/mayors in Lampung Province whose term of office should expire on 26 February 2026, because they were sworn in on 26 February 2021. They are the Regent-Wabup of Pesawaran Dendi Ramadhona-Marzuki, the Mayor-Deputy Mayor of Bandar Lampung Eva Dwiana-Deddy Amrullah, the Regent- South Lampung Deputy Regent Nanang Ermanto-Pandu Kusuma Dewangsa, Way Kanan Regent-Deputy Head Raden Adipati Surya-Ali Rahman, Metro Mayor Wahdi Siradjuddin-Qomaru Zaman, East Lampung Regent-Wabup Dawam Rahardjo- Azwar Hadi, and Central Lampung Regent Musa Ahmad-Ardito.

While the West Coast Regent and Deputy Regent, Agus Istiqlal-Zulqoni, will end their term of office on April 26, 2026, because they will be sworn in on April 26, 2021.

The reduction of the term of office for regional heads and deputy regional heads has received legitimacy from the panel of judges of the Constitutional Court in Case Number 18/PUU-XX/2022.

In the Constitutional Court decision it was written that the policy for formulating the election of governors, regents and mayors including cutting or reducing the term of office of regional heads as stipulated in Article 201 of Law Number 10 of 2016 concerning Elections for Governors, Regents and Mayors is transitional or temporary and occurs once for the sake of the implementation of simultaneous national elections in 2024.

So that the next election ends the terms of office for the governor and deputy governor, regent and deputy regent, as well as mayor and deputy mayor at the same time as the election period for the governor, regent and mayor, which is once every five years nationally.

The Constitutional Court decision also states that the form of compensation received by regional heads and deputy regional heads whose term of office has been reduced due to less than one period is given monetary compensation equal to the basic salary multiplied by the number of months remaining and receive pension rights for one period. (*)

This article was published in the Peel Complete Daily Newspaper, Friday Edition, 26 May 2023 with the title "Masa Jabatan Gubernur Lampung Arinal Habis September 2023"