Eight parties fail in Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) announced on Tuesday that eight of 39 political parties that registered to join the next elections failed to meet the requirements.

KPUD Chairman M. Taufik said on Tuesday that the conclusion was based on the result of factual verification conducted by the general elections commission at the Jakarta provincial and municipality/regency levels.

The eight parties are People's Struggle Democratic Party (PDPR), Reform Party, Indonesia In Diversity Party (PBI), Gotong Royong Party (PGR), Indonesian Democrat National Christian Party (Krisna Dei), Love the Nation Peace Promoter Party (PPDKB), Indonesia Our Homeland Party (PITA), and the Indonesian Nationalist Unity Party (PPNI).

Taufik said that there were two main reasons why the political parties failed in verifications.

First, many people whom parties claimed to be their members and supporters denied that they were members. Law No. 12/2003 on general elections rules that election contestants should have at least 1,000 members in each district.

Second, the parties did not have the minimum number of chapters as required by the law, which is in 21 provinces or two- thirds of the country's 32 provinces and in two-thirds of the country's regencies and municipalities.

Today the General Elections Commission (KPU) is slated to announce the political parties eligible to take part in the coming elections, based on the results of the verification conducted by provincial and municipality commissions.

The KPUD held a plenary session on Tuesday night to discuss the result of the factual verification of candidates for the provincial legislative council.