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.