The 2020 Parliamentary elections in South Korea, which were held in the midst of a pandemic situation, have become an international spotlight. Especially for Indonesia, which is still waiting for certainty about the timing of the 2020 Simultaneous Regional Head Election (Pilkada) continued. The success of the election by South Korea has become a matter of discussion among civil society.
During the discussion on “Election during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Learning from South Korea” (4/21), Senior Program Manager for the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), Adhy Aman, and Executive Director of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) , Titi Anggraini discussed the success factors for holding elections in the midst of the South Korean pandemic. There are six success factors that are considered to be lessons for Indonesia, namely an adequate electoral framework, adequate budget and timely logistics, trust in election administrators to hold safe elections, supportive political conditions, intensive communication, and transparency of the election process.
Adequate Electoral Framework
The National Election Commission (NEC) facilitates early voting for all voters to reduce crowds on polling day. The NEC also applies postal voting to voters under certain conditions. (Read more: https://rumahpemilu.org/pemilu-dengan-protokol-covid-19-pengalaman-korea-selatan/).
According to International IDEA's review, these rules are not new rules that were applied at the time of the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), but were regulated long before Covid-19. Organizers and voters have practiced early voting and postal voting. It's just that, during a pandemic, the applicability of the two of them is extended for the purpose of minimizing the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
“In Korea, they happened to have implemented the initial election before. Whether there is a crisis or not, they already have that facility. Second, voters can also vote by post. In Korea there is also a legal basis, previous practices have also existed. So, they just need to expand the application of these methods,” said Adhy.
According to Titi, the existence of the rule of law and the experience of practicing an election method are important in predicting the success of a method. Adopting a completely new method in the midst of a pandemic that causes limited space for movement poses a big risk.
“The legal instruments in South Korea have been able to adapt to emergency conditions, not something that was created suddenly just to facilitate this election. It's been an adjustment. But the legal framework is there, not something from scratch, we need this, we need that," said Titi.
Adequate Budget and Timely Logistics
The need to procure additional equipment for polling stations (TPS), such as hand sanitizers, body temperature measuring devices, face shields for organizers at polling stations, masks, and disposable gloves, requires an additional budget. Procurement of such equipment cannot be carried out in the midst of budget constraints.
“It’s expensive! And also this procurement must be on time. It doesn't mean that there is money, the goods are there. But it takes time," said Adhy.
Trust in Election Organizers
One of the standards for free and fair elections initiated by International IDEA is the freedom of voters from intimidation. Intimidation in this case, according to Titi, is not only physical intimidation, but psychological intimidation. The high level of voter turnout in South Korean elections during the pandemic was driven by the building of voter trust in the election organizers that they would be safe from Covid-19 transmission even though they came to polling stations to vote.
“The feeling of being safe, protected, will not be hurt or disturbed, that's what we can see from the practice in South Korea. That's what the NEC was able to convince when they held elections on April 15, 2020," explained Titi.
The voter turnout rate abroad is not as high as the percentage at home. Titi suspected that because overseas elections held at the South Korean embassy were not enough to give voters a sense of security.
International IDEA data shows that only 23.8 percent of overseas voters exercise their right to vote. Compared to the rate of voting rights users abroad in the 2016 National Assembly election, the voter turnout was at 41.4 percent.
"Thus, if I personally think that a sense of security, freedom from the intimidation of Covid-19, can be guaranteed by state stakeholders when they are in the country. But that can't be given entirely to overseas voters. So, that sense of security is what triggers people to vote at polling stations,” explained Titi.
Supportive Political Conditions
According to Titi and Adhy, the holding of quality elections in South Korea is also factored in by the supportive political conditions. The 2020 Parliamentary elections were held amid the world's appreciation for the South Korean Government in handling Covid-19. This appreciation is considered to increase the confidence of state actors to be able to hold elections with strict Covid-19 protocols.
"It increases the high trust in state actors there regarding public safety and health. Plus, the culture of South Korean society is also very disciplined. So, the discipline of the citizens is what makes the election successful," said Titi.
Intensive Communication
From Adhy's explanation, it was revealed that NEC's intensive communication was carried out through various media. NEC, said Adhy, is pro-active in explaining to the public the issues at stake in the quality of elections and public health, the challenges they face, the alternative options available, as well as the policies taken. Communication or delivery of information is seen as helping to build public trust and encourage people to participate.
“So that the public does not wonder and they finally join the new process. Experience in Korea can be used as a lesson for this. The Korean KPU has issued many relatively short videos as a means of public communication. There is also infographic information, with interesting pictures, to attract people's attention to read," explained Adhy.
Transparency of the Election Process
The last factor that determines the success of the South Korean election is the transparency of the electoral process. In the midst of a pandemic, voters will go straight home after casting their ballots. Likewise with voters who serve as election observers. Therefore, to make the voting process transparent at TPS, as well as the vote counting process, NEC broadcasts the voting and vote counting process live on NEC TV broadcasts.
"So, they are trying very hard, even though the public and observers cannot follow the election process directly, they are provided with facilities where the community can participate," said Adhy.
Adhy emphasized that holding elections during the Covid-19 period should not reduce the quality standards of implementation. Protocols for the protection of election organizers, participants and voters are as important as maintaining transparency and accountability at every process and stage of the election.
“Transparency must be maintained. It is one of the pillars of the legitimacy and integrity of the election. Don't just think there is a disaster, there is an opportunity to reduce standards," he concluded.
