The government must immediately issue a regulation-in-lieu-of-law (perpu) to educate voters on how to mark ballots, legislators and experts have said.
A seminar in Jakarta on Friday revealed more than 20 percent of ballots might be invalid should the government fail to issue the regulation-in-lieu-of-law, with many voters still in the dark as to how to properly mark the papers.
Legislators, candidates and experts urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to submit a draft regulation-in-lieu-of-law to the House of Representatives for approval by next week at the latest.
"President Yudhoyono must be able to convince legislators of how crucial the perpu is to reduce invalid votes," Andalas University legal expert Saldi Isra told the seminar.
"Among other things, the elections could result in long conflicts, mainly among candidates in the same political parties, if the House objects to the perpu."
The discussion was jointly organized by the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) and Washington-based pollster International Foundation for Election System (IFES).
The 2008 election law stipulates voters are allowed to mark once on the ballot.
The General Elections Commission (KPU) then translated it into a tick box system.
But after it found in trial runs that many voters were used to the old punching system, it permitted the use of a tick, cross, dash or punch.
The KPU issued regulation No. 3/2009 on a ballot marking system that allowed the use of a tick, cross or punch for the party or candidate in the elections.
The KPU regulation was made less than two months before the elections.
"But the KPU regulation is still too weak. It must be regulated under the perpu. With widespread conflicts looming, we need much stronger regulation," Saldi said.
The legislative elections will be held on April 9, with more than 12,000 candidates from 38 parties vying for 560 seats at the House.
There are 170 million people registered to vote in the legislative polls.
A recent trial by the KPU in Tangerang showed that about 26 percent of votes for legislative elections and 24 percent for the Regional Representative Council (DPD) were invalid because of marking mistakes.
"If this happens in the April elections, there would be about 31 million invalid votes," said Cetro executive director Hadar Gumay.
"Thus the legitimacy of the elections would be low."
National Mandate party (PAN) legislator Andi Yuliani Paris agreed the marking system needed a regulation-in-lieu-of-law.
"We as legislators still get confused by the marking system, so what about the voters?" she said.
"I hope the President provides the draft as soon as possible so we have time to analyze it."
Democratic Reform Party (PDP) legislative Noor Cholis accused the government and legislators of not being serious in preparing for the polls.
"The candidates have no guidelines to tell voters how to mark the ballots," he said.
"We have so far spent lots of money educating voters on the tick box system, when suddenly the KPU decides to roll out another system."
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