Held as a show of force in anticipation of the May 15, 2013 gubernatorial election in Bali, officials announced that 2,685 combined personnel from the Indonesian military and police would be jointly deployed to safeguard the contest for the right to lead Bali for the coming five years.
As reported by Kompas.com, in addition to police and military forces, community elements including pacalang, joined the pre-election formation showcasing personnel and equipment ready to be deployed to keep the peace during the election process. The police and military presence for the governor’s race is seen as a dry run for the coming APEC Conference in late 2013 and legislative and presidential races scheduled for 2014.
A police spokesman said open lines of communication would be maintained with local communities during the coming election to anticipate and handle any possible incidents that could lead to wider unrest.