Carter meets local poll watchdogs

JAKARTA (JP): Former United States president Jimmy Carter met with leading poll watchers here on Wednesday to discuss plans to monitor the June 7 election process, a national poll monitor coordinator said.

"Carter will lead a group of international poll monitoring observers consisting of 70 representatives from various countries to assure democratic, free and fair elections," Todung Mulya Lubis, a poll monitoring coordinator, said Wednesday.

The group is scheduled to arrive three to four days before balloting day, Todung said. Carter's complete itinerary including the date of his departure was not yet available. He will meet members of the General Elections Commission (KPU) as well as leading politicians Amien Rais and Megawati Soekarnoputri.

Representatives of poll watchers, including Rectors Forum, the University Network for Free and Fair Elections (Unfrel) and Yapika, a non-governmental organization which is to monitor the election process in Irian Jaya and other eastern areas, asked Carter to coordinate with national poll watchers here.

"Strong coordination is needed because domestic poll watchers are well-informed of the nation's situation.

"We are also aware of potential loopholes for poll fraud and are able to organize hundreds of thousands of volunteers here," Todung, a coordinator of Unfrel, said.

"We also demand objective, nonpartisan monitoring," Todung added. Coordination would prevent overlapping, he said.

Carter, who runs the Carter Center Policy Institute in Atlanta, Georgia, said he had been invited by President B.J. Habibie and major political parties.

"President Carter responded positively to our requests and said that Indonesia has to show its ability to run a democratic, free and fair general election as it will determine future international community support to this country," Todung said.

The international community is very concerned about this year's elections involving dozens of parties and 130 million eligible voters, he added. (edt)