KPUD bans 126 councillor candidates
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.