Jakarta. More than half of all Indonesian provinces including Jakarta will be led by interim governors appointed by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo until the historic elections in 2024.

The House of Representatives and the government have passed a law ordering all legislative and government elections to be held in the same year.

Indonesian voters will for the first time in history elect mayors, district heads, governors, senators, House members, district and provincial councilors, and a president simultaneously in the same year.

It means that 24 sitting governors and other elected officials whose terms expire this year will be replaced by interim leaders appointed by the central government until new successors are elected in 2024.

The first batch of interim governors were sworn in on Thursday by Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian on behalf of the president.

The minister installed interim governors for Banten, Bangka Belitung, Gorontalo, West Papua, and West Sulawesi altogether. 

“There are five governors whose terms expire on May 12. Interim officials of the top echelon arrive to prevent the absence of leadership," Tito told reporters.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan will complete his term in October and he too must give way to a government-appointed successor.

Aceh, currently led by an interim leader after Governor Irwandi Yusuf was arrested in July 2018 for corruption, also will have a new leader later this year.

“According to the law, an interim [governor] will serve for just one year but the service can be extended if necessary," Tito said.

Several big names like Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo who leads in various polls for presidential candidates and West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil will end their term next year, along with the sitting governors of East Java, North Sumatra, Riau, South Sumatra, Lampung, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, Maluku, North Maluku, and Papua.

The gubernatorial elections across all 34 provinces will be held on November 27, 2024, or nine months after the presidential election.