Ministry asks KPU to delay registration dateline

A'an Suryana and Mochammad N. Kurniawan The Jakarta Post Jakarta

A senior government official has asked the General Election Commission (KPU) to postpone its Oct. 9 deadline for political parties to register for the 2004 general elections.

Ramly Hutabarat, a senior member of political party verification at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, said the ministry was extremely busy attempting to screen 84 parties and would only be able to announce the results on Oct. 13 at the latest.

"We have asked that the deadline be extended by 10 days till October 20," said Ramly in Jakarta on Monday.

Once a party passes the screening process, it will only need to register at the KPU to take part in the elections scheduled for April next year.

Eighteen parties have been screened by the ministry, nine each in the first and second phases, taking three-weeks each.

The ministry has begun screening the last 66 parties in the third and last phase.

As of Monday, four of the 66 parties had passed preliminary screening, namely the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Independence Bull National Party (PNBK), the Indonesian National Unifying Party (PMNI) and the Pancasila Patriot Party (PPP).

It was hoped all information would be collected by Sept. 27.

The preliminary screening ascertains whether the political parties have met requirements at the central board level, including whether parties possess secretariats and have valid organizational structures.

The screening normally starts at the central board level, and is followed by further screening in the parties' branches and chapters in the regions.

Meanwhile, KPU chairman Ramlan Surbakti said its decision to set the first round of the presidential election on July 5, 2004 and the second round on Sept. 20, 2004 was the best choice.

Ramlan said Monday that it was unable to hold the second round before Sept. 20 as demanded by the head of the Constitutional Court, Jimly Asshidiqie.

The KPU is slated to announce the final results of presidential election on Oct. 5. The president will be installed on Oct. 20 next year.

Jimly said the 15-day period was too short a time as the court needed time to settle any legal disputes that may emerge from the presidential election.

Ramlan said the schedule was difficult to change.

"It takes time to print and distribute ballot papers in the countries' 32 provinces, so we need time between the first and second rounds of the presidential election."

Ramlan said the KPU would meet with politicians and the Constitutional Court soon to explain its decision.