Bali Reelects Its Former Gov, Beating President Prabowo’s Men by a Landslide
Wayan Koster
Giri Prasta
Pilkada 2024
PDI-P
Gerindra
Prabowo Subianto
Made Muliawan Arya
De Gadjah
Putu Agus Suradnyana
Regional Election
Tourism
Bali
DENPASAR, NusaBali.com - Wayan Koster, Bali's former governor from 2018 to 2023, was reelected during the 2024 Indonesia’s Simultaneous Regional Elections as the official result was confirmed by the Bali General Election Commission on Sunday (12/8).
Koster, with his running mate Badung Regent I Nyoman Giri Prasta, beat their competitors—who are also President Prabowo Subianto's men, Made Muliawan Arya and his lieutenant Putu Agus Suradnyana—by a landslide.
“Candidate number 1, Muliawan-Suradnyana, receives 886,251 votes and 1,413,604 votes for candidate number 2 Koster-Giri,” Bali General Election Commission chief I Dewa Agung Gede Lidartawan, said during the provincial votes recap plenary meeting on Sunday.
More than 2.3 million voters have cast their votes on November 27 in 6,795 polling stations across Bali and its tiny islands. It is roughly 71.92 percent of the total registered voters.
Koster-Giri took all eight regencies and one city in Bali. They won 61.46 percent of the votes, a large margin win over Muliawan-Suradnyana, who only packed 38.53 percent of the votes.
“This provincial votes recap plenary meeting decision is effective immediately as of the date it is decided, December 8, 2024,” Lidartawan declared.
Koster-Giri are senior politicians at the Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), the largest Prabowo administration opposition party. Koster holds the position of provincial chief of PDI-P Bali, and Giri is his counterpart at PDI-P Badung.
Meanwhile, Muliawan is a direct man of Prabowo’s since he serves as provincial chief of the president’s own political party, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), in Bali. Muliawan’s running mate Suradnyana is a former Buleleng Regent and was the regency chief of PDI-P.
After this win, Koster—who first entered the Bali gubernatorial race six years ago—will now continue his administration in Indonesia’s touristic region. So, what does Koster-Giri’s win mean for the future of the Bali tourism industry?
At the first gubernatorial debate during the campaign period, Koster pledged to make Bali a sustainable tourism destination. He aims at solving the overtourism issue in the southern part of the island by stimulating new economic growth points across Bali.
Koster administration also promised to stipulate new regional law tackling illegal property development that is caused by nominee practice and contractual mixed marriage. It is known that foreigners borrow locals’ IDs or marry locals contractually to build, own, sell, or rent out property in Bali.
These practices are deemed as the major cause of the high land conversion rate around developing tourism areas, such as Tibubeneng and Canggu. The issue caught the attention of the central government in Jakarta and eventually imposed a two-year pause on tourism accommodation development around southern Bali.
“Until there is regional law for (tackling) nominee practice, we cannot properly solve the problem. So, the first thing that we will do right after we are elected is stipulating a regional law that tackles the problem,” Koster’s Lt Gov Giri Prasta said during the first gubernatorial debate on October 30.
Koster added, Nominee law would not include provisions to regulate them so that it would be legal. Rather, it is solely to tackle them. “It (Nominee law) is a must and we will surely impose it,” he told NusaBali.com after the debate.
For now, the Koster-Giri are waiting for inauguration day on February 7 next year since their competitor decides not to file a petition about the election result dispute to the Constitutional Court.
Koster is now technically holding no power since his last term ended and Bali is still under an acting governor. However, Giri has gone back to his seat as outgoing Badung Regent until the incoming regent is inaugurated. *rat
“Candidate number 1, Muliawan-Suradnyana, receives 886,251 votes and 1,413,604 votes for candidate number 2 Koster-Giri,” Bali General Election Commission chief I Dewa Agung Gede Lidartawan, said during the provincial votes recap plenary meeting on Sunday.
More than 2.3 million voters have cast their votes on November 27 in 6,795 polling stations across Bali and its tiny islands. It is roughly 71.92 percent of the total registered voters.
Koster-Giri took all eight regencies and one city in Bali. They won 61.46 percent of the votes, a large margin win over Muliawan-Suradnyana, who only packed 38.53 percent of the votes.
“This provincial votes recap plenary meeting decision is effective immediately as of the date it is decided, December 8, 2024,” Lidartawan declared.
Koster-Giri are senior politicians at the Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), the largest Prabowo administration opposition party. Koster holds the position of provincial chief of PDI-P Bali, and Giri is his counterpart at PDI-P Badung.
Meanwhile, Muliawan is a direct man of Prabowo’s since he serves as provincial chief of the president’s own political party, the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), in Bali. Muliawan’s running mate Suradnyana is a former Buleleng Regent and was the regency chief of PDI-P.
After this win, Koster—who first entered the Bali gubernatorial race six years ago—will now continue his administration in Indonesia’s touristic region. So, what does Koster-Giri’s win mean for the future of the Bali tourism industry?
At the first gubernatorial debate during the campaign period, Koster pledged to make Bali a sustainable tourism destination. He aims at solving the overtourism issue in the southern part of the island by stimulating new economic growth points across Bali.
Koster administration also promised to stipulate new regional law tackling illegal property development that is caused by nominee practice and contractual mixed marriage. It is known that foreigners borrow locals’ IDs or marry locals contractually to build, own, sell, or rent out property in Bali.
These practices are deemed as the major cause of the high land conversion rate around developing tourism areas, such as Tibubeneng and Canggu. The issue caught the attention of the central government in Jakarta and eventually imposed a two-year pause on tourism accommodation development around southern Bali.
“Until there is regional law for (tackling) nominee practice, we cannot properly solve the problem. So, the first thing that we will do right after we are elected is stipulating a regional law that tackles the problem,” Koster’s Lt Gov Giri Prasta said during the first gubernatorial debate on October 30.
Koster added, Nominee law would not include provisions to regulate them so that it would be legal. Rather, it is solely to tackle them. “It (Nominee law) is a must and we will surely impose it,” he told NusaBali.com after the debate.
For now, the Koster-Giri are waiting for inauguration day on February 7 next year since their competitor decides not to file a petition about the election result dispute to the Constitutional Court.
Koster is now technically holding no power since his last term ended and Bali is still under an acting governor. However, Giri has gone back to his seat as outgoing Badung Regent until the incoming regent is inaugurated. *rat
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