{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1333931,
        "msgid": "aceh-voter-census-to-end-soon-1447893297",
        "date": "2003-12-20 00:00:00",
        "title": "Aceh voter census to end soon",
        "author": null,
        "source": "JP",
        "tags": null,
        "topic": null,
        "summary": "Aceh voter census to end soon Nani Farida and Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh\/Jakarta Amid controversy over whether Aceh, currently under martial law, could hold the 2004 elections democratically, the local statistics agency (BPS) promised on Friday to complete voter registration next month, 30 days after the December deadline. Aceh BPS head Iskandar Asyek said that the population census had reached 98.3 percent of a total 10,130 residential areas in the province.",
        "content": "<p>Aceh voter census to end soon<\/p>\n<p>Nani Farida and Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post,<br>\nBanda Aceh\/Jakarta<\/p>\n<p>Amid controversy over whether Aceh, currently under martial law,<br>\ncould hold the 2004 elections democratically, the local<br>\nstatistics agency (BPS) promised on Friday to complete voter<br>\nregistration next month, 30 days after the December deadline.<\/p>\n<p>Aceh BPS head Iskandar Asyek said that the population census<br>\nhad reached 98.3 percent of a total 10,130 residential areas in<br>\nthe province.<\/p>\n<p>Some 2,476,533 of 3,899,677 people in the war-torn province<br>\nhad the right to vote in the 2004 elections, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\"We shall verify our census data to avoid people not being<br>\nregistered as voters,\" Iskandar added.<\/p>\n<p>According to him, the BPS used two methods to carry out voter<br>\nregistration and the population census.<\/p>\n<p>First, by visiting the homes of local people, and second, by<br>\nrecording the number of red-and-white identity cards issued by<br>\nthe martial law authorities, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\"Ideally, we have to visit all homes, but during the current<br>\nmilitary operation we should have an alternative that is safer,\"<br>\nIskandar said.<\/p>\n<p>He conceded that the BPS encountered a number of difficulties<br>\nin carrying out this task, such as a lack of officials, slow<br>\ndocument delivery and the lack of security, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\"Two of our officials were killed by Free Aceh Movement (GAM)<br>\nmembers, and two others physically attacked by separatist<br>\nrebels,\" he added.<\/p>\n<p>The BPS, which has cooperated with the General Elections<br>\nCommission (KPU) in voter registration, has extended the deadline<br>\nseveral times to allow all people to be counted.<\/p>\n<p>The agency extended the voter registration deadline from April<br>\nto May this year, but when the May deadline fell, it again<br>\nextended it in several conflict-torn and remote provinces like<br>\nAceh, Maluku and Papua.<\/p>\n<p>The central BPS office has said that over 143 million<br>\nIndonesians have been registered as voters for the 2004<br>\nelections.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, KPU chairman Nazaruddin Syamsuddin said on Friday<br>\nthat foreign monitoring agencies would be allowed to monitor<br>\nelections in Aceh next year.<\/p>\n<p>He said the involvement of those agencies in monitoring the<br>\nelections in Aceh would help Indonesia boost its good image<br>\noverseas.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-voter-census-to-end-soon-1447893297",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}