KPU will welcome parties filing complaints<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The General Elections Commission (KPU) said on Wednesday that it
\nwelcomed complaints from parties that had not been declared
\neligible for next year's elections, but stressed that only valid
\nprotests would be entertained.<\/p>\n
"Please, feel free to submit complaints but we will only
\nentertain written objections with accompanying evidence. We will
\nsort out which complaints have to be responded and which do not,"
\nsaid Mulyana W. Kusuma, the KPU member chairing the party
\nverification team.<\/p>\n
Only six of 40 parties undergoing field verifications have
\nbeen declared eligible for next year's general election, while
\nthe remaining 34 must wait until Sunday (Dec. 7), when KPU is
\nslated to announce the qualification of more political parties
\nfor the 2004 elections.<\/p>\n
Mulyana said, in an unscheduled press conference on Wednesday,
\nthe commission had only received reports from 26 provincial
\nelections commissions (KPUDs).<\/p>\n
The press conference was also attended by dozens of leaders of
\npolitical parties that had not yet been declared eligible for the
\nelections.<\/p>\n
Mulyana, however, said that the commission would respond to
\nrequests by political parties that were yet to be verified in the
\nprovinces or regencies they had proposed.<\/p>\n
"We will order provincial elections commissions to do the
\nverification in areas that have not been verified," said Mulyana,
\nstressing that provincial KPUDs must be able to provide
\nexplanations to complaints filed by political parties.<\/p>\n
As Mulyana was speaking to reporters, several leaders of new
\nparties, such as Dimyati Hartono of the Indonesia Our Homeland
\nParty (PITA) and Gempar Soekarnoputra of the Indonesia National
\nUnifying Party (PPNI), waited for him at the KPU office, along
\nwith dozens of other political party leaders.<\/p>\n
Dimyati told the press that he wanted to hear the KPU's
\nexplanation over the fate of his party, which according to the
\ncommission had failed the field verifications.<\/p>\n
According to Dimyati, KPU had failed to verify his party's
\nbranch offices in a number of provinces and regencies.<\/p>\n
KPU has yet to name political parties that failed the
\nscreening. Some newspapers, however, have published the names of
\npolitical parties that are likely to fail to meet the requirement
\nof having branch offices in at least two-thirds or 21 of the
\ncountry's 32 provinces, and in two-third of regencies and
\nmunicipalities in those provinces.
\n Failing to meet the requirement means they will not be able to
\nparticipate in the upcoming elections.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is scheduled to hold the general election in April
\n2004, and two-phase direct presidential elections in July and
\nSeptember.<\/p>\n
KPU announced on Tuesday that six of 40 new political parties
\nhad passed field verifications and thus, would be allowed to
\ncontest in next year's elections.<\/p>\n
The six were identified as the Democratic Party, the
\nProsperous Justice Party, Concern for the Nation Functional
\nParty, Indonesia Justice and Unity Party, Reform Star Party, and
\nthe Freedom Bull National Party.<\/p>\n
Six other parties -- the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle, Golkar, the United Development Party, the National
\nAwakening Party, the National Mandate Party, and the Crescent
\nStar Party -- automatically earned a space in the 2004 elections
\nas they passed the two-percent electoral threshold in the 1999
\nelections.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, some 200 police officers have been deployed in
\nfront of the KPU office on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta to
\nprevent possible demonstrations from supporters of political
\nparties that failed the verification.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kpu-will-welcome-parties-filing-complaints-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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