T

he General Elections Commission (KPU) said on Friday that next week it would decide whether the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) would be allowed to contest the 2014 polls.

The Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu) ruled that the PKPI could join the upcoming elections because the KPU had failed to conduct a thorough contestant verification process to determine the party’s eligibility for the 2014 election.

The KPU said it had received a copy of Bawaslu’s ruling on Thursday and would need at least a week to respond to it.

“We have yet to study the ruling. We will decide on this matter sometime next week,” KPU member Arief Budiman said as quoted by kompas.com.

Arief said the KPU would make a swift decision as it would affect the 2014 election process.

“If we are late in making decisions, this problem could lead to a postponement of the elections. This is not good,” he said.

The KPU had previously declared the PKPI, along with 17 other small parties, ineligible to participate in the elections. The failed parties challenged the KPU’s decision by bringing their cases to the Bawaslu, which adjudicates disputes between the election organizer and election participants.

On Wednesday, the Bawaslu ruled in favor of PKPI.