KPU under fire for dealine shift

JAKARTA (JP): The General Elections Commission (KPU) came under attack on Tuesday for moving back the deadline for political parties to arrange vote-sharing deals (stembus akoord).

The Election Supervisory Committee said that by changing the deadline from May 31 to June 4 the KPU fell short of its commitment to make the upcoming elections just and fair.

The commission moved the deadline to June 4, the last day of election campaigning, on the grounds that political parties had not finished their talks on the sharing of votes.

The 1999 electoral law stipulates that any vote-sharing arrangements among political parties should be made public one week ahead of the election day.

"KPU should have consistently abided by the law," the election commission secretary, Satya Arinanto, said.

Eight Muslim parties have closed a deal to apportion extra votes among themselves. They are the Justice Party (PK), the Crescent Star Party (PBB), the United Development Party (PPP), the Muslim Community Awakening Party (PKU), the Nahdlatul Ummat Party (PNU), the Islamic Community Party (PUI), the Indonesian Masyumi Islamic Political Party (PPIM) and the Indonesian Syarikat Islam Party-1905 (PSII-1905).

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), National Mandate Party (PAN) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) are also considering a similar agreement.

Tamat Anshori of the East Java PBB chapter denied reports on Tuesday that the eight Islamic parties capped the deal in a bid to block PDI Perjuangan chief Megawati Soekarnoputri's push for presidency.

Anshori said the accord was meant to boost the party alliance's election performance. (pan)