PPI finalizes list of House candidates<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The National Elections Committee (PPI) finalized
\non Saturday the list of candidates from the 27 provinces to be
\nsworn in as members of the 1999\/2004 House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Some three months after the June 7 general election,
\nIndonesians will finally be able to put a face to 462 seats which
\nwere up for grabs in the polls.<\/p>\n
Candidates from all but four of the 462 seats in the 500-
\nmember legislature have been approved by the committee and are
\nready for the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for Oct. 1 to Oct.
\n3.<\/p>\n
The absence of candidate names for the vacant four seats was
\ndue to the fact that central boards of the respective parties had
\nfailed to submit their nominees' names.<\/p>\n
The four seats include two seats from the Nahdlatul Ummat
\nParty (PNU) in the provinces of Lampung and South Kalimantan, one
\nseat from the Indonesian National Party under the leadership of
\nProbosutedjo (PNI-Front Marhaenis) in Central Java and one seat
\nfrom the Democratic Catholic Party (PKD) in Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
The Committee zipped through the list of candidates for 462
\nseats in 27 provinces in four days.<\/p>\n
Their approval marks an end to the long arduous road filled
\nwith party bickering on the allocation of seats and the decision
\non who would represent the country.<\/p>\n
Although the names of nearly all the legislators were drawn
\nup, many problems remained unresolved in the committee's plenary
\nsession held on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Committee chairman Jakob Tobing noted that one problem was the
\nattempt to move top party candidates who did not obtain a seat in
\nhis or her original constituency, to another province where the
\nparty did win a seat.<\/p>\n
He drew attention to the case of Probosutedjo, head of PNI-
\nFront Marhaenis, who registered as a candidate in West Sumatra
\nbut did not win enough votes to win a seat.<\/p>\n
Candidates from his party in Central Java then resigned en
\nmasse to allow Probosutedjo, Soeharto's half brother, to stand as
\na candidate in a province where the party did win a seat.<\/p>\n
When asked on the future status of legislators from East
\nTimor, Tobing said the committee had decided to continue treating
\nthe province as part of Indonesia until the People's Consultative
\nAssembly issued a decree separating it from the republic.<\/p>\n
The province was allotted four seats, which were shared
\nequally by the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party
\nof Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).<\/p>\n
Out of the 48 parties who took part in the election, 21
\nobtained at least one seat in the House.<\/p>\n
PDI Perjuangan won 153 seats, the Golkar Party won 120 seats,
\nthe United Development Party (PPP) 58 seats, the National
\nAwakening Party (PKB) 51 seats, the National Mandate Party (PAN)
\n34 seats and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) 13 seats.<\/p>\n
They were the only six parties which succeeded in passing the
\n2 percent threshold -- equal to 10 seats -- stipulated in the No.
\n3\/1999 Law on General Elections.<\/p>\n
According to that law, only parties which met the threshold
\nwill be allowed to take part in the next general election.<\/p>\n
Parties with less than 10 seats included the Justice Party
\n(PK) with seven seats, the Love the Nation Democratic Party
\n(PDKB) and the Nahdlatul Ummat Party (PNU) both with five seats
\nand the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) with four seats.<\/p>\n
Some of the smaller parties were able to win a seat for their
\nsecretary-general, but not their chairman.<\/p>\n
PKP secretary-general Sutradara Ginting S. won a seat, but his
\nchairman, Edi Sudrajat, was unsuccessful. Similarly, PNU
\nsecretary-general Ahmad Sjatari will not be accompanied at the
\nHouse by chairman Sjukron Ma'mun. (05)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ppi-finalizes-list-of-house-candidates-1447893297",
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