Ministry asks KPU to delay registration dateline

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.