KPUDs to take full charge of local elections: Legislators<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Legislators deliberating amendments to Law No. 22\/1999 on local
\ngovernment agreed on Wednesday to designate Local Election
\nCommissions (KPUDs) as the sole organizers of gubernatorial,
\nregental and mayoral elections.<\/p>\n
The lawmakers, however, have yet to reach agreement on the
\ndetailed electoral rules, including candidate nomination, types
\nof permissible campaigning, campaign funding, and the days on
\nwhich voting may take place.<\/p>\n
In the draft submitted by the government, elections for
\ngovernors, regents and mayors were to be jointly organized by the
\nKPUDs and local council members.<\/p>\n
But, \"We have agreed that elections of governors, mayors and
\nregents will be organized by the KPUDs,\" said Agun Gunandjar
\nSudarsa on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Agun is the deputy chairman of the House committee
\ndeliberating the amendment of Law No. 22\/1999 on local
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
This latest agreement will reduce the possibility of
\ninterference by local council members, who are mostly
\npoliticians, in the local electoral process.<\/p>\n
Committee member Chozin Chumaidy said the lawmakers had not
\nyet reached agreement on whether independents could stand for
\nelection.<\/p>\n
According to Chozin, most factions had argued that only
\npolitical parties or coalitions of parties could nominate
\ncandidates.<\/p>\n
A number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have
\ndemanded that independent candidates be allowed to stand.<\/p>\n
They have expressed fears that the giving of a dominant role
\nto the political parties would only encourage bribery and other
\nabuses in elections of local government chief executives.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives and the government are currently
\ndiscussing the amendment of the Local Government Law, which
\nentered into effect in January 2001.<\/p>\n
Various issues in the law are being reviewed, but the limited
\ntime available has made the question of the direct election of
\ngovernors, mayors and regents the top priority.<\/p>\n
Agun added that his fellow legislators and the Ministry of
\nHome Affairs' regional autonomy director Oentarto S. Muwardi were
\nrewriting the revisions that had already been made after
\ndiscussing the issues involved at length.<\/p>\n
The results of this process would be brought before another
\nplenary meeting of the committee scheduled for Aug. 19.<\/p>",
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