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Postponed regional elections to take place next year
Authorities begin the recapitulation of the regional election in Kediri regency, East Java, on Wednesday
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Authorities begin the recapitulation of the regional election in Kediri regency, East Java, on Wednesday. Fourteen regions in 19 regencies and cities in East Java recapitulated ballots of the elections for regional heads. (ANTARA FOTO/Prasetia Fauzani/foc/15) (ANTARA FOTO)
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span class="inline inline-center">Authorities begin the recapitulation of the regional election in Kediri regency, East Java, on Wednesday. Fourteen regions in 19 regencies and cities in East Java recapitulated ballots of the elections for regional heads. (ANTARA FOTO/Prasetia Fauzani/foc/15)
Postponed regional elections in five regions will not take place this year as various legal issues at each region's court have not been resolved, a General Elections Commission (KPU) official has said.
"[The elections] will likely happen in 2016 because rulings have yet to be announced in three regions and cassation results in other two regions," KPU commissioner Arief Budiman said as quoted by kompas.com recently.
Arief said regional elections in the five regions would likely take place 14 days after final court rulings had been made.
However, Arief claimed that 14 days was not enough time to prepare for regional elections as forms and ballots, social familiarization and the possible production of campaign materials had yet to be prepared, which also depended on the availability of funds.
"Assuming that funds are available, even 14 days is not enough. We do not know if the funding is enough," Arief said, adding that insufficient funds would likely result in the regional elections being further delayed.
Arief said discussions with regional governments on funding would take time and would be difficult as the regional budget year would be over by January.
Initially scheduled to be held simultaneously with other regions on Dec. 9, regional elections in the five regions were postponed as a result of legal problems following lawsuits filed by several candidates against decisions made by regional general elections commissions (KPUDs) in their respective areas.
The five regions are Central Kalimantan province, Fakfak regency (West Papua), Manado (North Sulawesi), Pematangsiantar (North Sumatra) and Simalungun regency (North Sumatra).
Two cassation cases in Central Kalimantan province and Fakfak regency are awaiting rulings by the Supreme Court, while rulings by state administrative courts (PTUNs) in three other regions are pending.(afr/dan)
