Late ballot counting forces KPU to change schedule
Late ballot counting forces KPU to change schedule
A. Junaidi, Jakarta
The General Elections Commission (KPU) has decided to delay the
registration of presidential and vice presidential candidates for
the upcoming election due to delays in counting ballots in the
legislative election.
KPU working group chairman in charge of the July 5 election
Anas Urbaningrum said that all presidential and vice presidential
aspirants had to register with the commission between May 6 and
May 12. The commission had originally scheduled the registration
period for May 1 through May 7.
Anas admitted that the delay could create problems with the
distribution of election materials.
"Other schedules like the presidential campaign cannot be
changed as they are set out in the elections law. The logistics
division has therefore to work hard to meet the deadline," Anas
told a media conference at the KPU office.
According to Anas, the change was made as the KPU would
probably complete the count for the April legislative election on
May 5, within 30 days of the election, as stipulated in the
elections law.
The KPU, which came under fire for alleged widespread
violations in the April 5 election, had intended to announce the
final results of the legislative election on April 28, but due to
slow delivery of the voting tallies from regental General
Election Commissions (KPUDs), this was delayed.
Anas revealed that the commission would verify the data and
requirements submitted by political parties on their presidential
and vice presidential candidates from May 7 through May 13 and
notify parties of the verification results from May 9 through May
15.
"If candidates fail the verification, we shall give the
political parties a chance to propose new candidates. That is why
we are giving new candidates the opportunity to undergo medical
examination until May 22," Anas said.
He said the KPU had yet to receive the results of the health
examination of four presidential and vice presidential
candidates.
Golkar Party presidential candidate Gen. (ret) Wiranto
underwent the mandatory medical check on Wednesday, with the
Democratic Party's candidates Gen. (ret) Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
and Jusuf Kalla, and the National Awakening Party (PKB)'s
candidate Abdurrahman Wahid on Thursday.
Other candidates -- President Megawati Soekarnoputri, National
Mandate Party (PAN) chairman Amien Rais, and possibly Siswono
Yudohusodo -- are expected to undergo the test between May 10 and
May 13.
Executive director of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro)
Smita Notosusanto said the changes to and violations of deadlines
reflected poorly on the KPU.
"It shows that the KPU is not professional; it underestimated
the problems," said Smita, urging the commission to prepare for
the worst.
She warned that logistical problems such as late distribution
of ballot papers and boxes, and late counting of ballot papers in
the legislative election might threaten to disrupt the country's
first-ever direct presidential election on July 5.
Presidential and vice presidential registration timetable
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Date Agenda
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May 6-12: Registration of candidates
May 7-13: Data verification
May 9-15: Announcement of verification results
May 10-22: Improvement and registration of new candidates
May 22 : May 23 reverification
May 24 : Announcement of presidential and vice
presidential candidates
May 25 Taking numbers of candidate pairs