Five parties register for 2004 election

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Five political parties registered themselves on Monday with the General Elections Commission (KPU) to contest the 2004 polls, just three days after they were screened by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights.

The Crescent and Star Party (PBB), the Indonesian Union Party (PSI), the Justice and Unity Party of Indonesia (PKP Indonesia), the Star Party of Reform (PBR) and the National Concern Party (PKPB) are the first to undergo the final stages of the screening process to qualify for next year's general election.

For the PBB, the final process will be a formality as it has already met the two percent electoral threshold required by the election law to be eligible for the 2004 election. The party won 11 seats in the House of Representatives in the last election in 1999, one seat above the threshold.

The leaders of the five political parties came to the KPU in order to witness the registration process, including Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the chairman of the PBB, who is also the minister of justice and human rights.

Yusril, the PBB's deputy chairman Nursyamsi and secretary general M.S. Ka'ban, were received by KPU secretary-general Safdar Yusaac.

The KPU is vetting the political parties which intend to contest next year's polls from July 9 through Oct. 9.

Registration with the KPU is restricted to parties that have passed administrative screening by the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights so as to obtain body corporate status.

Parties registering with the KPU are required to fill in forms detailing their names, the names of their executives and other relevant facts.

"The screening by the KPU will be held after the forms are filled in, and the outcome will be made public on Dec. 2 after the KPU's plenary meeting," KPU member Annas Urbaningrum said on Monday.

The 2004 general election will be held in April of next year.

The Ministry of Justice and Human Rights declared nine political parties eligible for the next stage on Thursday, including the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), the winner of the 1999 elections.

The Golkar Party, which finished second behind the PDI Perjuangan, will register itself with the justice ministry on Wednesday.