No party reaches 30 percent of women running

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A total of 7,756 nominees were declared eligible on Wednesday for this year's legislative election, but no party met the 30 percent recommendation for lady candidates in all 69 electoral districts.

"The 7,756 candidates will compete for 550 seats in the House of Representatives," General Elections Commission (KPU) member Anas Urbaningrum, who chaired the commission's verification team, announced on Wednesday.

A total of 8,441 legislative hopefuls from 24 political parties submitted their names to KPU.

However, none of the 24 political parties eligible for the legislative election fulfilled their pledge to allocate 30 percent of legislative seats for women. Golkar, the chief proponent of that percentage, met the ruling in only 24 electoral districts, making it the political party with the least number of women running.

The only party that nearly met the 30 percent threshold was the Muslim-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), in 65 of 69 electoral districts.

All the other big name parties, such as the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the United Development Party (PPP), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Mandate Party (PAN), and the Crescent Star Party (PBB) also failed.

Anas said all 202 candidates of the Freedom Party and 446 from PKS managed to pass the screening, while 100 from PKB and 120 from the Socialist Democratic Labor Party (PBDS) were disqualified.

"One hundred of 551 candidates from PKB and 120 of 362 from PBSD were disqualified from the election," Anas said without elaborating.

He stressed that the number of candidates qualified for the legislative election was final. KPU will announce to the public the final list on Jan. 29.

PKB secretary general Saifullah Yusuf said Wednesday that some legislative entrants from his party did not pass because they had not submitted certain documents like the letter from the court showing no crimes had been committed and/or their wealth audit records.

"If the decisions were made based on clear rulings, we will accept them," he said.

KPU member Mulyana W. Kusumah said earlier that PKB chairman Alwi Shihab's assistant Umi Zahrok and current PKB legislator Sugiharti M. Karim were disqualified due to the absence of a signature from the party's chairman or secretary general.

Sources said that a number of executives in PKB board of executives also failed to pass the KPU screening.

Separately, PBSD secretary-general Diah Indriastuti said that all the women nominated between Jan. 6 and Jan. 19 were disqualified by the KPU.

The KPU announced in mid-December that 940 candidates from 31 provinces were qualified to vie for 124 seats in the Regional Representatives Council (DPD). The House and the DPD will form the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

The country will hold its legislative election on April 5.

Any of the 24 parties or coalitions of parties that garner at least 3 percent of seats in the House or 5 percent of total votes will be allowed to put up a candidate for the first round of the direct presidential election on July 5. Should the first round fail to produce a clear winner with over 50 percent of the vote, a second round of voting would be held on Sept. 20.