Poll delay ruling passed by House

Poll delay ruling passed by House

JAKARTA: The House of Representatives endorsed on Thursday a
government regulation in lieu of law that permits a delay of the
April 5 presidential election in some regions.

Regulation No. 2/2004 was issued on April 2 to render lawful
elections delayed due to late distribution of ballot papers.

The decision was reached in a House plenary session, at which
188 lawmakers voted for the endorsement, while 45 opposed it.

It was voted upon after a closed-door meeting between House
faction leaders was unable to reach a consensus.

However, several faction spokespeople blamed the General
Elections Commission (KPU) for its failure to hold the election
according to schedule. -- JP