Legislative candidate announced on Dec. 20

JAKARTA (JP): Politicians who failed the candidature screening tests carried out by the military until Nov. 30 will have their names dropped from the list of next year's candidates for the House of Representatives.

Spokesman for the General Election Institute Dailami said yesterday there would be no compromise for politicians who missed the deadline.

"They will be disqualified," Dailami said, adding that the institute and the three political organizations contesting next year's election would finalize the lists.

The final lists will be made public on Dec. 20, he said.

The political organizations -- the ruling Golkar, the United Development Party (PPP) and the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) -- will vie for 425 of the available 500 seats in the House next year. The remaining 75 seats are reserved for the Armed Forces, whose members do not vote in elections.

Each political organization is permitted to submit a maximum of 850 candidates names for next year's election. The figure is twice the number of allocated seats for the three organizations.

All eligible Indonesians will cast their votes next May to elect their representatives in the House and legislative councils.

The screening rule requires candidates to provide documents including a statement from the State Internal Security Agency of proving the candidates disengagement from outlawed political organizations and physical and mental health records from doctors.

Dailami said the number of legislative candidates who passed the screening and those who failed it would not be made public until Dec. 20.

"It is just reasonable that not all the proposed candidates pass the screening," he said.

National Screening Committee chairman Sutoyo N.K. announced last month that the PPP had submitted screening documents for 774 candidates, Golkar 836 and the PDI 772. (imn)