MPR secretariat prepares election of vice president
JAKARTA (JP): The secretariat of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has completed its studies on the mechanisms for an MPR special session, including the procedures for the election of the vice president.
The secretariat said the special session should be convened two months after the MPR working committee commences its first meeting to prepare an agenda for the special session.
The document, obtained by The Jakarta Post on Thursday, further suggested that leaders of Assembly factions should consult to discuss procedures for the session but should not expedite the session as there was no constitutional basis.
"If there is an idea to expedite the special session then there should be a national consensus to do so," the document stated.
The document was prepared two weeks before Wednesday's plenary session, in which the House of Representatives (DPR) called for the MPR to hold a special session.
The document, signed by MPR Secretary General Umar Basalim, added that the special session should run for eight days, starting in early August.
The main agenda of the session would be to hear an accountability speech from President Abdurrahman Wahid. After hearing the speech, the MPR would then decide to reject or accept it.
If the MPR rejects the accountability speech, the President would then be given a second chance to present his argument again. If the MPR rejects the accountability for the second time, then the MPR would be able to dismiss the President.
"The House and Assembly hinted strongly that the Assembly will reject President Abdurrahman Wahid's accountability speech. And if this should happened than Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri is likely to replace Abdurrahman as president," the document stated.
The final day of the special session should be used to elect the vice president should Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri replace Abdurrahman Wahid.
"However, due to the different regulations, there will be a problem to replace the vice president. Finding a legal constitutional basis will present the greatest problem regarding this issue," the document stated.
Currently, there are two Assembly decrees regulating the empty vice president seat.
MPR Decree No. 7/1973 states that to fill the vice president's seat there should be a request from the new president.
However, MPR Decree No. 2/2000 regulates that should the vice president take over the presidency then the Assembly should elect a new vice president.
There was no clear regulation to state that there is an obligation to fill the position of vice president after the special session as the new president could choose not to have a vice president during their tenure.
"A problem could occur if one of the parties (the new president and Assembly) refuses to replace the vice president, while another party wants the position," the document stated. (dja)