AJI elects Nany Afrida and Bayu Wardhana for Chairwoman and Secretary General for the 2024-2027 term

Palembang - Nany Afrida and Bayu Wardhana were elected as Chairwoman and Secretary General, respectively, for the 2024-2027 term of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) during the AJI Congress XII held in Palembang, South Sumatra, on May 5, 2024.

Running as candidate pair number 1, Nany and Bayu secured the highest number of electoral votes, totaling 90, surpassing the votes received by candidate pair number 2, Aloysius Budi Kurniawan and Iman D. Nugroho (42 votes); pair number 3, Ika Ningtyas and Laban Abraham Laisila (48 votes); and pair number 4, Edy Can and Asep Saefullah (37 votes).

This marks the first time the electoral system has been utilized for voting on the AJI chair and secretary general during a congress. This system allows all AJI members to directly vote for the candidate pair who will lead the organization for the next three years.

Every AJI member registered in the Permanent Voter List (DPT) is eligible to cast a vote in the AJI Election 2024. Following the verification process by the AJI Election Committee, 1568 members were deemed eligible to vote, with 1213 exercising their voting rights. The participation rate in this election stood at 77.3% of the members listed in the DPT.

The winning candidate pair was determined through the electoral system, with candidates vying to secure the support of the 217 electors representing the 39 AJI city chapters across Indonesia.

The electoral system employs a proportionality approach to decision-making during the AJI Congress. It was first implemented in 2001. In previous congresses, the electoral votes won by a candidate pair were cast by participating AJI city delegates. However, in this congress election, the electoral votes for a candidate pair were calculated by converting the votes cast by the 1568 AJI city members from the 39 chapters.

"This marks the first time every AJI member can directly vote for the chair and secretary general. However, the winner was not decided based on the highest number of votes, but by converting the votes into electoral gains for each AJI city," said Yoso Muliawan, the chair of the AJI Election Committee.

Nany Afrida and Bayu Wardhana will succeed Sasmito Madrim and Ika Ningtyas, who held the positions of AJI chairman and secretary general for the 2021-2024 term.

The AJI Congress is the organization’s highest decision-making forum and is held once every three years. The congress deliberates on new Articles of Association, Bylaws, Code of Ethics, and Program Outline.

AJI Congress XII in 2024 was held in Palembang, South Sumatra, with the theme "Safeguarding Freedom of the Press for Climate and Democracy." This theme addresses the two main challenges faced by journalists worldwide: the deteriorating climate crisis and the repression of press freedom due to challenges to democracy.

AJI Congress XII was attended by around 300 members from across Indonesia. For more information on the series of events during the congress, visit www.kongres12aji.com.