Most parties fall short of 30% quota for women

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Nearly all Jakarta branches of political parties have failed to meet the 30 percent allocation for women in their respective lists of councillor candidates for the city.

Activists in particular have been demanding the quota be met, even though it is only recommended and not mandatory under the Election Law.

Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) chairman Mohamad Taufik said on Monday that only one of the 24 political parties had met the quota for women candidates.

The one party is the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) with women candidates reaching 30 percent. The Justice and Prosperous Party (PKS) comes close with 29 percent.

Article 65, paragraph 1 of Law No. 12/2003 on general elections urges political parties taking part in the general election to make 30 percent of their legislative candidates and councillors women.

Taufik said political parties still had a chance to change the lists of their candidates before the Jan 19 deadline. The names of candidates will be made public on Jan. 27.

Despite the absence of legal consequences for parties who fail to make 30 percent of their candidates women, women voters in particular should be aware of their failure, Taufik told The Jakarta Post.

He also said that some 60 percent of the total 1,578 candidates for Jakarta councillors failed to meet requirements for their candidacy.

He added that many of the candidates failed to include school certificates, health reports, a list of their wealth and letters confirming their residence.

Taufik said the candidates also had until Jan. 19 to meet all the requirements.

He said that the KPUD on Monday returned incomplete documents of candidates to their respective political parties during a meeting with party leaders at his office.