PRACTICE OF MONEY POLITICS IN THE ELECTION OF LOCAL HEADS: A CASE STUDY OF THE ELECTION IN BANDA ACEH CITY

Abstract

The Banda Aceh regional election held on November 27, 2024, raises its own problems because of the four candidates competing, only one candidate is believed not to use illegal methods, aka money politics. The other three candidates were suspected by many of using money politics to gain the majority of votes. The votes achieved by the three candidate pairs in Banda Aceh City were strongly influenced by money or other forms of assistance so as to increase voters' votes for these candidates. This type of research is empirical research or qualitative research where data is obtained from interviews with respondents. The results showed that the influence of money politics in the Banda Aceh regional elections in 2024 was not significant. Candidates who disburse a lot of budget are not able to influence the community with the large budget prepared. People took the money given by the candidate, but not all of them voted for the candidate who practiced money politics. The operational form of money politics in the Banda Aceh regional election in 2024 was by giving a sum of money directly or through transfers to voters' accounts on quiet week days and nights. The suggestions from this research are that Pilkada Supervisors (Panwaslih) are recruited not from political party support and money politics perpetrators can be disqualified even though they are not structured, massive and systematic.