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16 regencies, municipalities in C. Java to hold direct elections simultaneously
The chairman of the Central Java General Elections Commission (KPUD), Joko Purnomo, has said that 16 regencies and municipalities in the province will hold direct elections simultaneously in 2015 as the House of Representatives agreed to pass two government regulations in lieu of law (Perppu) that reinstate direct elections for regional heads
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he chairman of the Central Java General Elections Commission (KPUD), Joko Purnomo, has said that 16 regencies and municipalities in the province will hold direct elections simultaneously in 2015 as the House of Representatives agreed to pass two government regulations in lieu of law (Perppu) that reinstate direct elections for regional heads.
The regions scheduled to hold direct elections this year accounted for nearly half of total 35 regencies and municipalities in the province inhabited by 33 million people, he added.
'Actually, the office terms of regents and mayors in the 16 regencies and municipalities will not end in the same month but to make it technically easy, we have decided that direct elections of regional heads in Central Java will be held simultaneously,' Joko told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
With such simultaneous organization, the direct elections would be much more cost efficient, he went on.
The 12 regencies are Blora, Boyolali, Kebumen, Kendal, Klaten, Purbalingga, Purworejo, Rembang, Semarang, Sukoharjo, Wonogiri and Wonosobo. Meanwhile, the four remaining municipalities are Magelang, Pekalongan, Semarang and Surakarta.
Joko said the KPUD as well as general elections commission offices at the regency and municipality levels were waiting for a decision from the General Elections Commission (KPU) in Jakarta on the exact date of the direct elections.
'There are two possibilities. First, they could be held at the end of December 2015, and this is what we are expecting, or second, they could take place in 2016,' said Joko.
He said all KPU offices in Central Java hoped that the direct elections could be held simultaneously in 2015. Apart from the fact that election funds in the regions were mostly ready, he said immediate direct elections would prevent unnecessary circumstances resulting from a vacuum of power occurring for too long.
Budget allocations for the direct elections differ across each regency and municipality. "Some regions have allocated only Rp 10 billion [US$801,654] but others have far more than that, reaching up to Rp 20 billion and even Rp 40 billion,' Joko said.
'From the 16 regencies and municipalities, the total amount of funds allocated for the direct elections reaches around Rp 325 billion.'
Semarang KPUD has allocated Rp 46 billion for its mayoral election, the highest compared to other municipalities. Other cities ' Magelang, Pekalongan and Surakarta ' have allocated Rp 10 billion each. (ebf)(+++)
