It was held to elect the governor of South Sumatra along with their deputy, whilst members of the provincial council (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah) was re-elected in 2019.

Other candidates are regents of regencies within the province: Herman Deru from East Ogan Komering Ulu, Aswari Rivai from Lahat and Dodi Reza Alex Noerdin from Musi Banyuasin.

[4] Under regulations, candidates are required to secure the support of a political party or a coalition thereof comprising at least 20 percent of the seats in the regional house.

Alternatively, independent candidates may run provided they are capable of securing support from 7.5 percent of the total voter population (~503 thousand voters) in form of photocopied ID cards subject to verification by the local committee although no candidates expressing interest managed to do this.

[7] Aswari Rivai, who was the leader of South Sumatra's Gerindra and also two-term regent of Lahat Regency, paired up with 2013-2018 mayor of Pangkal Pinang Muhammad Irwansyah.