Running again:  The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle'€™s (PDI-P) respective candidates for Surabaya mayor and deputy mayor, Tri Rismaharini (right) and Wisnu Sakti Buana, travel on rickshaws to the General Elections Commission'€™s (KPU) office in Surabaya to file their nomination papers on Sunday. The pair, both incumbents, will stand for re-election in December. (Antara/Risyal Hidayat)

With December'€™s regional elections approaching fast, the first day of registration for candidates nominated by political parties opened on Sunday. The country'€™s largest party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), confidently proposed its nominees on single-party tickets, rather than as part of coalitions.

In Surabaya, accompanied by thousands of supporters, PDI-P candidates and incumbent Mayor Tri Rismaharini and Deputy Mayor Wisnu Sakti Buana registered at the Regional General Elections Commission'€™s (KPUD) office.

'€œI hope other parties will nominate their candidates,'€ the popular Risma, who went to the KPUD in a becak (three-wheeled pedicab), told reporters after the registration. The election will be postponed until 2017 if only one pair registers.

In the country'€™s second city, the PDI-P has 25 of the 50 seats on the legislative council. Six other political parties, namely Golkar, the Democratic Party, Gerindra, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the National Mandate Party (PAN), which earlier formed a coalition, have not yet submitted any candidate names.

Meanwhile in Surakarta, a stronghold of the PDI-P, the party registered incumbent Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo and Deputy Mayor Achmad Purnomo as candidates on Sunday.

Rudy, as the mayor is known, was promoted from deputy mayor to replace Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo when the latter was elected as Jakarta governor in 2012. Jokowi became President last year.

While the PDI-P confidently registered candidates in Java, outside the island, the party, which is chaired by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri, seemed less sure of itself. In Gowa regency, South Sulawesi, candidate pair Andi Maddusila Andi Ijo and Wahyu Permana, who were nominated by the Democrats, the PKS, the PKB and Hanura, registered at the local KPUD.

In Selayar regency in the same province, the duo of Basli Ali and Zaenuddin, who were nominated by Gerindra and the PKS, also submitted their names on Sunday.

However, KPUD offices in nine regencies and cities in South Sulawesi, namely Maros, Pangkajene, Pangkep, Barru, East Luwu, North Luwu,, Tana Toraja, North Toraja, Soppeng and Bulukumba, received no candidate registrations.

Back in Java, trouble erupted in Tasikmalaya as hundreds of disappointed PKB supporters vandalized the party'€™s office in the West Java town.

Antara news agency reported that the supporters were angry at the party'€™s central board'€™s decision to nominate a different candidate to the one proposed by the local chapter.

'€œIt'€™s an internal party conflict,'€ KPU commissioner Sigit Pamungkas told The Jakarta Post

The commission was upbeat about the first day of registration.

'€œEverything went well. As of [7 p.m.] we have registered 55 pairs of candidates, both independent and from political parties, including from the parties currently in conflict,'€ KPU commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay said on Sunday, referring to the internally riven Golkar and United Development Party (PPP). (rbk)

Andi Hajramurni contributed to the article from Makassar

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