Regency election committee members resign, KPU says

Regency election committee members resign, KPU says

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has approved the
resignation of six members of its regency branches, some of them
due to alleged corruption.

KPU chairman Nazaruddin Syamsuddin said the six were among 19
members of regency or municipality branches who are to give up
their posts for various reasons, including alleged corruption and
affiliation with political parties.

The six are Bahder Johan Nasution from Jambi's KPU
municipality office, who resigned after failing to get the
chairmanship, Rajosimarajo from Payakumbuh in West Sumatra, who
complained about health problems, Petrus Beruatwarin from
Southeast Maluku due to his affiliation with a political party,
Nurhasanah from Central Tapanuli for undisclosed reasons, and
Allen Ngepek from East Barito regency in Central Kalimantan for
being involved in a dispute with the governor.

According to the regulations, those who resign will be
replaced by those who ranked just behind them in the selection of
local election commission members.

Each election commission has five members, who must not have
criminal record or affiliation with political parties. The law
says a KPU should have a maximum 11 members.

"A provincial or regency KPU branch that has less than five
members will violate the law and trigger flawed election
results," Nazaruddin told reporters at his office.

Recently, KPU members Imam Prasodjo and Mudji Sutrisno
resigned from the KPU as the election law bans KPU members from
holding other jobs, and requires those who are also civil
servants to take extended leave.

Both Imam and Mudji preferred to continue working as lecturers
in their respective universities instead of serving on the KPU
until 2006.

Nazaruddin said he hoped the provincial KPUs would start
resolving the forced resignation of local KPU members at the
regency and municipality levels.

"Don't ask us to resolve all the problems. The KPU will handle
the recalling of provincial KPU members to help us focus our
energies on the preparations for the general elections," he said.

Separately, KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbaki said the KPU
must now work out the presidential election schedule, the
campaign period, and the printing of ballot papers to avoid any
delays in the election of a new president on Oct. 20, 2004.

A decree of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR)
stipulates that the current presidential term will last until
that date.

"We have not yet concluded that the country will not be able
to inaugurate a new president on Oct. 20, 2004. We are still
trying to calculate precisely the period needed for the printing
of ballot papers and their distribution to avoid this happening,"
he said.