City's registered voters total 7 million for election
City's registered voters total 7 million for election
Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta
The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) recorded
555,881 more voters as the registration for presidential election
closed on Tuesday, making a total of 7,050,332 eligible voters
for the presidential election.
KPU Jakarta chairman Muhamad Taufik said on Wednesday that the
figure included all five municipalities and the Thousand Islands
regency.
The largest number, or 171,286 new voters, come from West
Jakarta, followed by North Jakarta with 128,172, East Jakarta
113,598, South Jakarta 77,271, Central Jakarta 64,522, and 1,032
people from Thousand Island regency.
Previously, KPU Jakarta registered 6,494,451 eligible voters
for the April 5 legislative election, but only around 4.4 million
voters were recorded on the election day.
The poll commission argued that there were many migrants who
cast their votes in their hometowns.
However, the latest registration -- involving heads of
community and neighborhood units who made door-to-door house
calls -- only garnered about half of KPU Jakarta's earlier
estimation of 1.1 million new voters.
"I believe that the number of newly registered voters reflects
the serious work of the community and neighborhood unit heads who
know best the residents in their area. It means that nearly all
people in the city have been registered," Taufik said.
He added that the head of community and neighborhood units
were paid Rp 500 (less than 6 US cents) for each person they
registered.
KPU Jakarta members met on Wednesday the campaign team leaders
of presidential candidates to discuss the schedule for the
election campaigns except Wiranto's campaign team members who
were in Yogyakarta.
The meeting, however, was inconclusive, as each team was still
waiting for the national schedules.
Taufik said the campaign in the city would be kicked off with
a joint carnival on June 1, in which each candidate would be
permitted to send a maximum 10 decorated vehicles.
The General Elections Commission gave the first campaign time
slot to Hamzah Haz and Agum Gumelar, followed by Wiranto-
Solahuddin Wahid, Megawati Soekarnoputri-Hasyim Muzadi, Amien
Rais-Siswono Yudohusodo, and lastly Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-
Jusuf Kalla.
Candidates and their respective teams will hold outdoor
campaigns at the provincial level and indoor campaigns at
municipal and regental levels.
Taufik stressed that candidates were not allowed to campaign
at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.