Jakarta needs Rp 34b for election runoff

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