Enthusiastic candidate numbers shock KPU

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.