KPUD bans 126 councillor candidates
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) disqualified on Thursday 126 of 1,682 regional legislative candidates from 24 political parties contesting the April 5 legislative election.
KPUD chairman Muhamad Taufik said, however, that if any of the approved candidates were found to have submitted fake documents they would also be disqualified.
"It's better for candidates who submitted fake documents to quit now rather than be discovered later," he told The Jakarta Post.
Thirty-six of the disqualified candidates are from East Jakarta, 30 from South Jakarta, 26 from West Jakarta, 13 from Central Jakarta and 21 from North Jakarta and Kepulauan Seribu regency.
A total of 1,556 candidates were declared qualified for the election by KPUD. East Jakarta has the biggest number of candidates with 429, followed by South Jakarta with 336 candidates, West Jakarta with 324, North Jakarta and Kepulauan Seribu with 267 and Central Jakarta with 200.
They all will run to gain one of the 75 seats in the City Council.
Taufik named several factors for the disqualification of candidates including the submission of fake documents and incomplete requirements, being under-age, not fulfilling the minimum education requirement and failure to confirm their documents' authenticity.
Many candidates from major parties like the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Golkar Party, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) were among those who failed to qualify.
Fachruddin, a member of the poll commission from South Jakarta, said that there were also many candidates who had been disqualified because they did not confirm their documents authenticity with KPUD offices at the provincial or municipal levels.
"The number of candidates who failed to go to KPUD offices to confirm their documents is quite significant," he said, without elaborating.
KPUD had earlier informed each political party that their legislative candidates were required to go the KPUD offices to confirm the authenticity of their documents by presenting the original ones.
Data at KPUD showed that 10 of 24 political parties in Jakarta had not fulfilled the 30 percent quota of women legislative candidates.
They include major parties such as the National Awakening Party (PKB) with only 21 percent, the National Mandate Party (PAN) with 25 percent, Golkar Party with 28 percent, PBB with 26 percent and PDI-P with 25 percent.
Other parties that failed to fulfill the quota include the Socialists Democratic Labor Party (PBSD) with 28 percent, the Democratic Party 28 percent, the Reform Star Party (PBR) 17 percent, the Regional United Party (PSI) 28 percent and the Pioneers' Party 26 percent.