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Parties allowed to contest candidates
With rifts having developed within political parties following last yearâs presidential election, a new law on regional elections has introduced a mechanism that allows parties to contest the General Elections Commissionâs (KPU) announcement of candidates in concurrent regional elections set for December
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ith rifts having developed within political parties following last year's presidential election, a new law on regional elections has introduced a mechanism that allows parties to contest the General Elections Commission's (KPU) announcement of candidates in concurrent regional elections set for December.
As parties like Golkar and the United Development Party (PPP) are still riven with internal conflicts, contestation of candidate nominations is expected.
'The potential for conflicts is huge. If the parties do not mend their rifts, they will dispute the candidates to be nominated,' Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) executive director Titi Anggraini told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Golkar is still split between the camp of the pro-government Agung Laksono and the camp of incumbent chairman Aburizal Bakrie, while the PPP is divided between senior politician Djan Faridz, the successor appointed by former leader Suryadharma Ali, and Muhammad 'Romi' Romahurmuziy, the leader of a splinter group that defied Suryadharma's leadership after the presidential election.
KPU commissioner Ida Budhiati said that disputes were to be expected since elections were always about power struggles.
'There will always be a potential for disputes because what we do here is managing elections, which entail internal battles,' she told the Post.
However, Ida said that the new mechanism was specifically introduced to bring justice to proceedings.
'Before this, disputes regarding nominations of regional candidates were not regulated. Participants felt a sense of injustice,' she said.
The KPU will announce the names of candidates -- proposed by the regional branches of political parties with the approval of the heads of their central executive boards -- on August 24.
Any disagreement with the decisions can be lodged with the Elections Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu) from August 24 to 26.
Bawaslu will then make decisions on Sept. 9. If any party remains dissatisfied, it can appeal to the High Administrative Court (PT TUN) from Sept. 10 to 12.
The PT TUN is scheduled to deliver its verdicts on Oct. 6, after which any remaining unhappy party members can file cassation petitions to the Supreme Court as a final attempt from Oct. 7 to 13.
It is not until Nov. 13 that the Supreme Court will deliver its verdicts.
Therefore, the KPU will have only 25 days to prepare if the voting is held on December 9, as planned by the commission.
'We have to know how many candidates there are before we can prepare,' Ida said.
To minimize the potential for disputes, Titi said that the KPU should issue detailed guidelines to election organizers at the local level so that there was no confusion with regard to double leadership of political parties.
'We cannot afford multiple interpretations on the KPU's regulations because the potential for disputes is everywhere,' she said.
Ida added that the KPU would increase the transparency of the process of naming of candidates to limit the potential for disputes.
'The process of our work can be corrected by candidates and Bawaslu, as long as they provide evidence that can be held accountable,' she said.
