Jakarta: Tragedy struck Indonesia’s 2024 general election as the nation mourns the loss of 27 poll workers, as reported by the health ministry on Friday.
According to Siti Nadia Tarmizi, spokesperson for the ministry, these deaths occurred before, during, and after the voting process, based on reports received from February 10 to 15.
“The primary cause cited is heart attacks, with nine cases reported,” stated Tarmizi, noting that other causes include vehicle accidents (4), septic shock (2), acute respiratory distress syndrome (1), and hypertension (1), with 10 cases pending confirmation, as per Xinhua news agency.
Central Java emerged as the province with the highest number of poll worker fatalities, with seven cases, followed by East Java and West Java, each with five cases.
Indonesia’s recent general elections witnessed participation from over 204 million voters across 823,220 stations, facilitated by more than 5.74 million poll workers, as reported by the General Election Commission.
In light of the grim toll, it’s worth noting that the 2019 general elections saw 894 cases of poll worker deaths. To mitigate such tragedies, the government has enforced health screening measures and imposed a maximum age limit of 55 for poll workers.
