Presidential hopefuls must have zero debt
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The General Elections Commission (KPU) has announced additional requirements for presidential and vice presidential candidates standing in the upcoming election.
Anas Urbaningrum, from the KPU's presidential and vice presidential candidate registration committee, said on Wednesday that candidates must secure a certificate of solvency from the district court stating that they have no debts -- either to individuals or institutions -- that could inflict losses to the state.
Law No. 22/2003 on the presidential and vice presidential election requires candidates not to be indebted, but makes no mention of a certificate from the district court.
Anas said the commission had just received a letter from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights about the authority to issue such a certificate.
He stressed, however, that the KPU reserved the right to verify such certificates should anything suspicious be found. He did not elaborate.
The ministry's letter also stated that candidates must obtain a certificate from the commercial court to the effect that they are not undischarged bankrupts.
Although the Constitutional Court (MK) has ruled as invalid a regulation banning former members of the outlawed Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) from contesting seats in the legislative elections, the KPU said on Wednesday that former communists would still be barred from standing in the presidential election.
Anas pointed out that the legislation banning former PKI members from contesting the presidential and vice presidential posts had not been reviewed by the Constitutional Court.
The court recently ruled that former PKI members must be allowed to contest seats in all the country's legislative bodies by 2009.
The verdict triggered calls for the repeal of all existing discriminatory laws, including the ban on former PKI members from contesting the presidential elections.
The country will hold its first ever direct presidential election on July 5, with a possible runoff between the top two candidates on Sept. 20.
The elections will be preceded by legislative elections on April 5 to choose members of the House of Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representatives Council (DPD), and provincial and regental/municipal legislatures.
Parties or coalitions garnering 3 percent of the seats in the House or 5 percent of the total votes contested in the legislative elections will be allowed to propose candidates to run in the presidential election.
Anas said that presidential and vice presidential aspirants would also be required to obtain tax certificates from the Directorate General of Taxation stating their tax file numbers and tax payments over the last five years.
Other requirements include Indonesian nationality and never having been jailed.
"Presidential and vice presidential candidates will have to seek the certificates from the relevant institutions by themselves. The public will also be allowed to make submissions on the certificates presented by each candidate," he said without elaborating.
He said the KPU would stick to its initial schedule for the registration of presidential and vice presidential candidates. This must take place between May 1 and May 7 as stipulated in KPU Instruction No. 638/2003.
The KPU would undertake verification of the administrative requirements between May 2 and May 9, and announce the outcome between May 5 and May 10. The period allowed for correcting and submitting additional documents would be from May 6 to May 17, followed by further verification from May 7 to May 18.
On May 19, the KPU would announce the numerical order in which the presidential and vice presidential aspirants will appear on the ballot papers.