The two institutions are worried that candidates may woo voters, especially those who are suffering from financial hardship as a result of the epidemic, by offering money or daily supplies.

KPK deputy chairman Nurul Ghufron said these voters would be susceptible to accepting gifts offered by candidates.

“[COVID-19 hardships] might trigger the public to vote for candidates who give them cash and basic necessities,” Nurul said in a recent virtual public discussion. “Such a transactional approach is illegal because candidates will exploit those who are enduring economic difficulties so that they can become regional leaders."

Nurul also warned that vote buying might lead to corrupt practices if the candidates who win attempt to offset their extra campaign spending through illicit deals.

The KPK, he said, had arrested dozens of regional leaders for allegedly abusing their power for personal gain, even though it recorded a downward trend of such cases in the past two years. In 2019, the KPK arrested nine regional leaders for corruption, a sharp decline compared to 29 regional leaders in 2018.

“Still, we believe that vote buying in the upcoming elections will only produce more corrupt regional leaders in the future,” he said.

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