KPU allocates legislative seats for East Timor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The General Elections Commission (KPU) ruled on
\nTuesday the troubled province of East Timor would receive four
\nseats in the House of Representatives (DPR) rather than the 13
\nstipulated by the elections law, according to KPU deputy chairman
\nAdnan Buyung Nasution.<\/p>\n
\"East Timor will be awarded four DPR seats, the same as their
\nprevious allocations... based on justice and proportional
\njudgment,\" Adnan said after a plenary meeting of the KPU.<\/p>\n
He said most of the members of the KPU -- comprising five
\ngovernment representatives and 48 representatives of the
\npolitical parties contesting the June 7 general election -- felt
\nallotting 13 DPR seats to the tiny province would be unfair to
\nother provinces.<\/p>\n
According to the 1999 law on elections, East Timor should be
\ngiven 13 DPR seats, one for each of its 13 regencies. On the
\nother hand, Irian Jaya, a much larger territory, is to receive 12
\nlegislative seats to represent its 2.5 million residents.<\/p>\n
In the past, East Timor always was allocated four seats
\nbecause of its relatively small population of some 800,000.<\/p>\n
\"We haven't decided on the allocation of seats for the regency
\nand provincial legislatures. We will do so on Wednesday,\" Adnan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
KPU chairman Rudini said separately the decision also was made
\nin response to the government's suggestion that East Timor be
\nallocated four seats that the 48 poll contestants would have to
\ncompete for.<\/p>\n
The KPU also decided the number of legislative seats for 11
\nother provinces: North Sumatra (24 seats), Riau (10), South
\nSumatra (15), Lampung (18), Jakarta (18), West Java (82), Central
\nJava (59), Yogyakarta (6), East Java (67), West Kalimantan (9)
\nand West Nusa Tenggara (8 seats).<\/p>\n
In another ruling on Tuesday, the KPU stated the 48 political
\nparties contesting the poll must announce with which party they
\nwould share or combine excess votes. One legislative seat is
\nequal to 450,000 votes. The announcement should be made by May
\n31, a week before the June 7 poll.<\/p>\n
Such agreements between parties are popularly called stambus
\nakoord.<\/p>\n
\"All parties are free to determine their partners. Such
\nagreements can be made between two, three or four parties,\" Adnan
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Adnan said early announcements were needed to avoid voter
\nconfusion. \"Every voter will realize that the party he or she
\nsupports may coalesce with other parties.\"<\/p>\n
Separately, election officials in Aceh on Tuesday began making
\nhouse calls to register eligible voters, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
According to the chairman of the Aceh Provincial Elections
\nCommittee, Ahmad Farhan Hamid, reports from all districts in the
\nprovince showed only 15 percent of the total 2,315,244 eligible
\nvoters in the province had registered by Monday.<\/p>\n
\"The door-to-door system is expected to increase significantly
\nthe number of registered voters, but we have no intention of
\nforcing people to register,\" Ahmad said.<\/p>\n
In a related development, Abdurrahman Wahid, chairman of
\nNahdlatul Ulama, the country's largest Muslim organization,
\nexpressed his optimism that many people would register to vote
\nbecause this election would determine the future of a \"new
\nIndonesia\".<\/p>\n
\"Well, if people like myself start to register, I believe many
\npeople will follow. I will vote for the new, democratic country,\"
\nhe said after registering at Ciganjur subdistrict in South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
Abdurrahman, or Gus Dur as he is better known, is the patron
\nof the National Awakening Party (PKB).<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, Rudini, along with National Elections Committee
\nchairman Jacob Tobing, Minister of Home Affairs Syarwan Hamid and
\nDirectorate General for General Administration and Regional
\nAutonomy Ryaas Rasyid, visited polling committees in Bekasi and
\nEast Jakarta. (edt)<\/p>",
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