Parties given eight more days to trade votes<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The General Elections Committee has given the
\nthree parties eight more days to decide whether they will trade
\nvotes to increase the number of seats in the House of
\nRepresentatives won by the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
"We'll let them discuss vote trading for PDI until June 25,"
\nthe committee's secretary-general Suryatna Subrata said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
"The initiative for vote-trading plans should come from the
\ncontestants. The elections committee will not interfere and will
\nonly facilitate discussions."<\/p>\n
He acknowledged that the electoral laws did not cover vote
\ntrading, and that the General Elections Institute was not
\nauthorized to initiate such deals.<\/p>\n
This was a turnaround by the government which stated earlier
\nthat the victorious party, Golkar, could only give votes to
\nparties that polled badly if the parties had agreed to a vote
\ntrade-off deal before the election.<\/p>\n
The PDI recorded an all-time low in this year's election,
\nsecuring only 10 seats in the House. It won 56 seats in the 1992
\nelection.<\/p>\n
Golkar chairman Harmoko has offered the PDI votes to increase
\nits number of seats in the House, but PDI leaders have refused
\nhis charity. The United Development Party (PPP) has said that it
\nshould get the first offer for vote grants because it came second
\nin the election.<\/p>\n
Golkar's election strategy chief, Rully Chaerul Azwar, told
\nThe Jakarta Post yesterday that vote grants could only be
\ninitiated by the elections institute.<\/p>\n
"It's part of the election institute's job," he said.<\/p>\n
In response to Suryatna's statement, PPP deputy chairman Jusuf
\nSyakir said the government could not force the parties to help
\nincrease the PDI's number of seats.<\/p>\n
"A consensus may be reached later, but it will only tarnish
\nthe government's image because it is (breaking) the law," Jusuf
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
PDI secretary-general Buttu R. Hutapea confirmed yesterday
\nthat his party would not accept Golkar's offer of votes.<\/p>\n
"We'll make do with the votes we have earned, no matter how
\nfew. There are still several days of ballot counting remaining,
\nit is possible there will be some changes in our results," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Meeting<\/p>\n
Suryatna denied any knowledge of a report of a meeting of the
\nthree parties, which concluded that Golkar would give the PDI
\nthree House seats.<\/p>\n
"I don't know of any such thing. They (the parties) have not
\ntold the committee about it," he said.<\/p>\n
Rully also denied the meeting had happened.<\/p>\n
"There was only a meeting of the Election Supervision
\nCommittee (yesterday) afternoon," he said.<\/p>\n
The deadline for the approval of poll results for the House of
\nRepresentatives is June 24.<\/p>\n
The National Elections Committee is scheduled to announce the
\nfinal poll results on June 23. According to electoral rules, the
\nresults will remain valid without all three parties' approval.<\/p>\n
Provisional results issued by the elections institute show
\nthat Golkar has won 325 seats in the House, PPP 89 and PDI only
\n10 after the counting of about 115 million ballots.<\/p>\n
Analysts have said the PDI needs at least three more seats to
\noperate effectively in the House. One seat for a deputy House
\nSpeaker post, one to lead the party in the House and one so the
\nPDI has a representative in the 11th House commission.<\/p>\n
"(Without additional seats for the PDI), the House's internal
\nregulations, which stipulate a mechanism for legislative
\nactivities, must be reviewed," Suryatna said. (imn\/amd)<\/p>\n
Endorse -- Page 2<\/p>\n
Vote rigging -- Page 4<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/parties-given-eight-more-days-to-trade-votes-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }