KPU speeds up election preparations

KPU speeds up election preparations

Moch.N. Kurniawan, Jakarta

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has moved forward its
schedule for the screening of presidential and vice presidential
candidates in order to speed up the printing and the distribution
of ballot papers for the July 5 presidential election.

KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti said while no changes were
made to the registration schedule of presidential and vice
presidential aspirants from May 6 to May 12, the screening of the
candidates would now be conducted from May 8 to May 13.

Consequently, the results will be communicated to the
candidates between May 8 and May 14, a day earlier than the
initial schedule of May 9 to May 15.

The period given to the candidates to submit additional
documents has also been moved forward a day to between May 9 and
May 21.

KPU will announce the eligible candidates on the evening of
May 22, two days ahead of the original schedule. The draw to
determine the numerical order of the candidates, will be held on
May 23.

"We revised the schedule to speed up the printing and the
distribution of ballot papers for the presidential election,"
Ramlan said after a plenary session.

KPU was forced to reschedule its original timetable for the
legislative election due to poor management of logistics,
resulting in, among other things, many unregistered voters.

The delays also resulted in late vote counting, which
eventually finished on May 5, a week behind schedule.

No presidential or vice presidential aspirants turned up at
the KPU to register themselves on the first day of the
registration period.

Ramlan said there might be an exception for a party or a group
of parties whose candidates were unable to contest the election,
due to serious illness or death. The parties will be given until
May 25 to appoint new candidates.

The new aspirants will have to undergo a medical on May 26 at
the latest and the KPU will determine their eligibility on May 28
at the latest, Ramlan added.

All candidates have to register with the KPU in person. KPU
member Hamid Awaluddin said this would reflect the candidates'
seriousness, besides the fact that they have to sign the
registration form.

Ramlan also said the KPU would not open a tender for
procurement of ballot papers for the July 5 presidential
election. KPU will just review the firms that took part in the
tender for the April 5 legislative election to determine which
firms will be appointed to print the papers.

"The review will help us weed out printing firms that did not
perform well in the legislative election," Ramlan said.

The review will be conducted by KPU deputy secretary-general
Sussongko Suhardjo, but Ramlan did not reveal the timetable.

However, a source said the field check on the existing
printing firms would start next week.

During the field check, KPU will examine, among other things,
whether or not the printing companies subcontracted their
printing jobs to other firms in the April legislative election,
their tax records and the capacity of their printing machines.

Based on the results of the survey, KPU will rank the printing
firms before appointing the eligible printing companies.

Many printing firms in the April 5 legislative election
subcontracted the printing as they lacked the capacity to print
the large volume of ballot papers.

The ballot paper for the presidential election will be a half
the size of the ballot paper for the legislative election.