Poetry reading in Kulo Progo, Yogyakarta.
The curator of the Election and Democracy Poetry Competition selected five of the best poems from 20 nominated poems. One of the selected poems was by Ayi Jufridar, a member of the Lhokseumawe City Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslih) and an Acehnese writer.
According to the Kulon Progo Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) announcement, the five best poems are "Pada Pemilu" (In the Election) by Naning Scheid (Brussels, Belgium), "Kitab Suara" (Book of Voices) by Ayi Jufridar (Lhokseumawe, Aceh), "Democracy Sitting in a Coffee Shop" by Nadifa Rachmah (Banyuwangi, East Java), "There Are No Red Dates for Us" by Eddy Pranata PNP (Banyumas, Central Java), and "Di Ujung Kertas Suara" (At the Edge of the Ballot Paper) by Aprianus Putrason Niro (Malaka, East Nusa Tenggara).
In addition, the jury also selected three favorite poems: "Di Day" by Ika Zardy Saleha, "Lala and Langkah Bapak" by Riliana, and "Aku dan Amplop Putih" by Hendri Sulistya. All three are from Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta Special Region.
The Head of the Kulon Progo Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), Marwanto, stated that the five Selected Poems and three Favorite Poems were the result of the jury's rigorous curation from 134 poems by poets from Indonesia and abroad (Belgium and Malaysia). "The jury then selected 88 works for the poetry anthology Warna Kitab Suara," Marwanto stated at the Kulon Progo Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) Office on Friday, August 15, 2025.
Marwanto, who is also a member of the jury, added that the selected poems were works by poets from various regions in Indonesia, including from abroad, such as Brussels (Belgium) and Malaysia. Other poems came from various cities across Indonesia, including Lhokseumawe (Aceh), Riau, Lampung, Bengkulu, Central Java, East Java, Bali, West Papua, Kalimantan, and many more.
Ayi Jufridar, a member of the Lhokseumawe City Elections Supervisory Agency (Panwaslih), expressed his honor that two of his poems, Warna (Color) and Kita Suara (We Are Voices), were included in an anthology of poetry about elections and democracy. He admitted that the two poems were inspired by the supervision carried out during the 2024 General Election.
"I've been an election organizer several times, but writing election-themed poems was a new experience for me," said the Coordinator of the Prevention, Community Participation, and Public Relations Division of the Lhokseumawe City Elections Supervisory Agency (Panwaslih).[]
