General election to run on schedule: Commission<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The General Elections Commission (KPU) assured the public on
\nWednesday that despite technical and logistical problems, the
\nupcoming general election would run smoothly and on schedule.<\/p>\n
KPU Chairman Nazaruddin Syamsuddin said after a meeting with
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri at the presidential office here
\non Wednesday that he and KPU members informed the President that
\nthe KPU had solved the major part of technical and logistical
\nproblems in its preparations for the legislative and presidential
\nelections.<\/p>\n
\"We admit there were logistical problems. Now the work of the
\nballot boxes has resumed and it will be completed on time and
\n(the printing of) ballot papers has been almost wrapped up,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Various groups have expressed concern as just two months ahead
\nof the legislative election, ballot boxes and ballot papers have
\nnot yet been distributed to remote electoral districts. KPU has
\ncontracted private companies to make a total of around 2.5
\nmillion ballot boxes and to print around 150 million ballot
\npapers but the two projects have yet to be completed.<\/p>\n
\"The distribution of ballot boxes and papers will start in a
\nfew days,\" said Nazaruddin.<\/p>\n
He brushed aside doubts about any possible misuse of the
\ncomputerized counting machine, saying KPU would conduct a manual
\ncounting of votes to gain accurate and valid results.<\/p>\n
He said further that KPU was also proposing a Rp 900 billion
\n(US$101 million) additional budget to the government due to the
\nincrease in the number of eligible voters to more than 147
\nmillion. The President pledged to take the proposal into
\nconsideration, he added.<\/p>\n
The legislative election which is to be preceded by a one-
\nmonth election campaign will be held on April 5 to elect 550
\nlegislators and 120 regional representatives from 30 provinces
\nwhile the first round of the first-ever direct presidential
\nelection will be held on July 5.<\/p>\n
Separately, KPU Deputy Chairman Ramlan Surbakti said that the
\nincrease in the number of eligible voters by 1.57 million to
\n147,219,531 at present from 145.7 million in Jan. 10 had
\nsomething to do with the emergence of new eligible voters due to
\nage and marriage factors and the completion of voter registration
\nin conflict-ridden Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"The figure is not final yet because the registration of
\noverseas voters is not complete,\" he added.<\/p>\n
He said the KPU has proposed an additional budget to cover the
\nproduction cost of additional ballot boxes and papers.<\/p>\n
The additional budget constitutes almost 20 percent of Rp 5
\ntrillion the government has allocated to cover the elections.<\/p>\n
National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas) urged the KPU to
\nprepare a contingency plan in line with the identification of 28
\npossible problems that could threaten the elections.<\/p>\n
Lemhannas governor Ermaya Suryadinata said technical and
\nlogistical problems and the emergence of legislative candidates
\nwith bad track records and those who were unable to meet
\nadministrative requirements for their candidacy were only three
\namong the 28 possible hindrances.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Indonesian Military Commander Gen. Endriartono
\nSutarto said that the military was ready to help the KPU to
\ndistribute ballot boxes and other equipment, especially to remote
\nareas across the country.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, the military has enhanced coordination with the
\nNational Police to maintain security during the campaign season
\nand the election days,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/general-election-to-run-on-schedule-commission-1447893297",
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