Manggarai Barat Restricts Official Activity in 64 Election Villages

Labuan Bajo — — The Manggarai Barat administration has ordered regional agencies to suspend official activity in villages holding simultaneous village-head elections from Sept. 23 to 29, 2026, while keeping emergency response work, including earthquake relief, exempted, according to local government and RRI reports.

The instruction was issued by acting regional secretary Pius Baut under letter No. DPMD.410/566/IX/2026, which directs offices not to carry out official activities in election villages during the campaign, quiet period and voting stages, according to the district government's information site and RRI. The restriction is meant to preserve neutrality and avoid any perception that the administration is backing a candidate, the reports said.

The election schedule runs from Sept. 23-25 for campaigning, Sept. 26-28 for the quiet period, and Sept. 29 for voting and vote counting, according to the same reports. The simultaneous vote is planned for 64 villages across 12 subdistricts.

In its notice, the district government said urgent work may continue, especially activities linked to handling earthquake victims. The exemption appears to be a narrow carve-out for emergency response rather than a suspension of all public services across Manggarai Barat.

A separate report from detik.com in April said the simultaneous village-head elections were scheduled for Sept. 29 in 64 villages spread across all 12 subdistricts, matching the timetable cited in the later government notice and RRI report. The earlier report also quoted district officials describing the vote as part of a simultaneous village election process.

What the restriction covers

The directive applies to official activities by regional government units in villages where the election is being held. It is aimed at keeping the campaign environment orderly and preventing government presence from influencing voters.

The reports do not set out a detailed operational plan for routine services during the restriction period. They do, however, indicate that emergency action, especially disaster response, remains allowed.

Election timetable

• Sept. 23-25: Campaign period
• Sept. 26-28: Quiet period
• Sept. 29: Voting and vote counting

The planned election covers 64 villages in 12 subdistricts, making it one of the district's largest local electoral exercises this year. The government notice was issued as the process entered its final stages.

Sources

• InfoMabar (Manggarai Barat district government information site)
• RRI.co.id
• detikBali