KPU gears up for presidential poll

KPU gears up for presidential poll

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With vote counting in the April 5 legislative election yet to be completed, the General Elections Commission (KPU) is now bracing for an even bigger task -- organizing the presidential election.

Deputy head Ramlan Surbakti said on Thursday the commission was preparing for voter registrations, disseminating election information, screening candidates and creating election materials.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS), which carried out the population census for the April 5 election, would announce the preliminary list of registered voters on Friday, Ramlan said. Unregistered elligible voters would have the chance to register from April 25 through May 10, he said.

"The BPS has updated the list of registered voters with those who turn 17 years old by the voting date of July 5. The temporary list from the BPS has been distributed to the regional commissions (KPUDs) and will be announced by the village election committees," Ramlan said.

He predicted registered voters for the country's first ever direct presidential election would reach 150 million, up from around 147.5 million voters for the legislative election.

"For the voter registrations, we will encourage elligible voters to register with their local community leaders," he said.

In the legislative election, BPS staff visited eligible voters in their homes. However, many voters complained that they were not visited or they had remained unregistered despite visits.

Ramlan said the KPU was evaluating the performance of companies that had printed ballot papers, film negatives, ballot- counting forms and envelopes for the legislative elections.

"Based on the evaluation, we will appoint the best companies to provide election materials. This procurement process will start as soon as possible, " he said.

The KPU would need between 4,000 tons to 7,000 tons of paper for the presidential election, Ramlan said.

Election rules say parties and coalitions that won at least 3 percent of the seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) or 5 percent of the votes in the April 5 legislative election are allowed to field candidates in the July 5 presidential election.

Megawati Soekarnoputri of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (DPI-P); Gen. (ret) Wiranto of the Golkar Party; Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the Democratic Party (PD); and Amien Rais of the National Mandate Party (PAN); have all announced their plans to run for president.

Former president Abdurrahman Wahid has also said he will contest the election but many doubt he will pass the KPU's health screening requirements. Hamzah Haz of the United Development Party (PPP) will settle for the vice presidential post, while Hidayat Nurwahid of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) has decided not to field any candidate.

Ramlan said the KPU would order the printing of about 165 million ballot papers for 150 million voters in the election.

On Wednesday, commission official Valina Singka Subekti said the KPU would start disseminating information about the presidential election through provincial and regional commissions and advertisements on TV and radio.

Leaflets, flyers, and posters will also be printed, while daily advertisements will be aired on TVRI, RCTI, SCTV, Trans TV, Indosiar, ANTV and TV7, Republic of Indonesia Radio, and the 68H radio network, she said.

KPU official Anas Urbaningrum said the registration of presidential candidates and their running mates would run from May 1 through May 7.

The registration period would be moved back if the announcement of official legislative election results was not made by the end of April, he said.

"We predict eight pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates will submit their candidacies to the KPU," he said.