Jakarta needs Rp 34b for election runoff

JAKARTA: The Jakarta provincial General Elections Commission (KPUD) chairman Muhamad Taufik said on Wednesday that the commission would need around Rp 34 billion (US$3.69 million) to organize the second phase of the presidential election runoff on Sept. 20.

The money, he said, was needed to pay the 219 subdistrict poll committee officials, to erect 24,244 polling stations, to distribute ballot papers and provide meals for voting organizers and presidential candidates' witnesses on election day.

The Jakarta KPUD is budgeted to get Rp 5.2 billion from the General Elections Commission. That is allocated for the KPUD members' salaries and to buy stationery.

The 2004 city budget has allocated Rp 19 billion for each election.

The Jakarta KPUD spent Rp 32 billion on the first presidential election because the number of voters increased by around 800,000 compared to voter turnout in the legislative election, where 4.28 million went to the polls. -- Antara