Forty-four vie for regent, deputy posts

Forty-four vie for regent, deputy posts

BREBES, Central Java: At least 44 people in the Central Java town of Brebes have registered with the local authorities to contest the election of new regent and deputy regent scheduled for April.

The number of the contenders were recorded by the March 30 deadline.

The committee at the local legislative council claimed it was the biggest number of registered contenders vying for the election of the Brebes regent and deputy regent in the town's history.

"This is extraordinary. According to the information we have obtained never before has there been so many candidates," a committee member said.

At least 21 of the 44 nominees were registered to contest for the regent post, 12 for deputy regent and 11 others either for the regent or deputy regent.

The new regent and his or her deputy will be elected late this month by the Brebes legislature to replace Tadjoedin Nuraly, who died last year. His term should have ended in 2003.

Among the candidates are Tadjoedin's wife Sri Waryanti and his younger brother Wahyudin Noor Aly, current chairman of the city's Pancasila Youth movement. They are contesting the election of deputy regent.

Other candidates include Ashuri Chairi and Slamet Abdullahnuri, a deputy speaker of the council. --JP