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KPUD leaves troubled candidates to their parties
The Bali General Election Commission (KPUD) will leave the decision to replace troubled legislative candidates who have been reported by the public to their respective political parties, KPUD chief Lanang Perbawa said Monday
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The Bali General Election Commission (KPUD) will leave the decision to replace troubled legislative candidates who have been reported by the public to their respective political parties, KPUD chief Lanang Perbawa said Monday.
Lanang advised representatives from the 36 political parties participating in the 2009 legislative election to pay attention to public reports because they may indicate a level of distrust between the parties and their voters.
"We believe this should be resolved internally because the commission remains confident that it has done all it can do to filter the candidates," Lanang told reporters after the meeting with representatives at the Bali KPUD office in Denpasar.
"Now it is up to their conscience," he said.
In late September, the KPUD announced its temporary shortlist of qualified legislative candidates to the media to enter public scrutiny.
The commission has since received hundreds of calls and written reports from the public protesting the nomination of several candidates.
The KPUD has confirmed two omitted legislative candidates for cheating the process.
One, I Ketut Putri, was omitted after the KPUD confirmed public reports that he was nominated for a legislative seat in the Bali provincial legislative council by two different parties: the Patriot Party and the Indonesian Democracy Enforcer Party.
Another candidate, I Wayan Darmawasa of the Labor Party of Struggle, was omitted for trying to run for legislative positions in two different councils: the Badung regency's legislative council and the Bali provincial legislative council.
Lanang would not reveal the other candidates who were reported or their political affiliations, saying that there were more than five candidates reported.
"We don't want to seem like we're discrediting certain political parties,"he said.
Lanang said political parties were not obliged to replace the troubled candidates.
Furthermore, if a candidate resigns or is simply sacked by their political party without a replacement, the next candidate on the ballot list will take over the empty spot.
Political parties have until Oct. 25 to respond to the Bali KPUD regarding the public reports.
Meanwhile, Lanang told representatives from the participating political parties that did not fulfill the 30 percent women candidate quota to formally submit an explanation letter by Oct. 23 at the latest.
KPUD plans to release its fixed list of qualified legislative candidates by Oct. 30.
On the current shortlist, Bali's KPUD allowed 821 legislative candidates from 36 political parties to contest legislative seats, a reduction from the 1,004 candidates who originally applied.
The candidates will compete for the 55 seats available in the Bali provincial legislative council. The verification process for candidates at the regency level legislative council is the responsibility of the KPUD in respective regencies.
