Enthusiastic candidate numbers shock KPU
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Beyond expectations, people have enthusiastically picked up registration forms to contest the regional representatives election next year, prompting the General Elections Commission (KPU) to extend the registration period from July 14 to July 21.
KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti said on Monday the commission would accommodate as many applicants as possible within the extra period.
"We welcome the increasing demand at the provincial level, but there will be no change in the deadline set for the registrants to return their forms," he said.
The commission will receive registration forms from July 15 to Sept. 8, Each registrant must be supported by 3,000 people, with copies of ID cards belonging to the supporters attached to his or her registration form.
As of Monday, 300 people had picked up registration forms in Jakarta, 111 in Banten, 78 in West Java, 53 in East Java, 80 in Riau, 105 in Lampung, 71 in Bengkulu, 70 in South Sulawesi, 24 in Central Sulawesi, 14 in East Kalimantan, 37 in Bali, 54 in South Kalimantan and seven in Maluku, according to KPU data.
Only a few of the people were women. For example, only three women took registration forms in East Java, six women in Riau and seven in South Sulawesi.
KPU member Mulyana W. Kusumah admitted that the registration process started late in some provinces. He said that in Maluku, registration forms became available to the public from July 12, four days later than the KPU schedule.
The amended 1945 Constitution adopts a bicameral system, in which the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) and the House of Representatives (DPR) will form the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).
The Constitution states that the maximum number of regional representatives is one third of the number of House legislators.
Law No. 12/2003 on general elections stipulates that the DPR will consist of 550 legislators.
With every province electing four regional representatives, there will be 120 seats at stake across 30 provinces in next year's election of DPD members.
However, the possibility remains open that the DPD will add more seats due to plans to form new provinces.
Under the Constitution, the DPD could propose and deliberate bills concerning, among other things, regional autonomy, relations between the central and regional governments, the establishment of new administrative areas and the financial balance between the central and regional governments. It could also supervise the implementation of the bills.
Mulyana said now that people were registering for regional representatives seats, election monitoring organizations should begin screening the candidates.
"The DPD will comprise people's representatives based on provinces. The monitoring of candidates must ensure that politicians will not dominate seats in the DPD. Candidates from political parties should compete to get seats in the DPR to avoid double representatives of parties in the DPR and the DPD," he said.
Monitoring must also minimize vote-buying and ensure that a candidate lives in the province where he or she nominates him or herself, he added.