Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo explained the Law and Human Rights Ministry had made its decision over several crucial issues on the revised draft law, however, several other issues still needed to be resolved.

Tjahjo said the government's drafting team was currently formulating and synchronizing several matters that had been agreed upon in the draft law.

The minister further said the government was set to discuss several pressing issues in the draft law with the House' Commission II overseeing home affairs in a hearing on Tuesday.

"Hopefully, all House factions and the government will reach an agreement on the draft law during the hearing tomorrow [Tuesday] so that it can be decided in the next plenary session, which will fall on June 1 or June 2," Tjahjo said in Jakarta on Monday.

As previously reported, the House failed to endorse the revision in its plenary meeting at the end of April following heated debates with the government on several points regarding independent candidacies.

Tjahjo said among the crucial issues that had been agreed on related to the minimum amount of support required by independent candidates.

Under the current law, independent candidates must be supported by 7.5 to 10 percent of voters registered on the final voter list (DPT). 

However, several House factions wanted to set a higher bar for the required support to 10 to 15 percent, or even 15 to 20 percent of voters on the DPT.

"It is considered that the proposed minimum required support for independent candidates is not something too much [to ask for]," Tjahjo said.

He further said another crucial issue resolved was regarding candidacy requirements, in which a House or a regional legislative council member must resign if they wanted to run as a regional head candidate, which was in line with a previous Constitutional Court verdict.

"In principle, the government does not want to contradict the Court's verdict," Tjahjo said.

Earlier, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo pushed for the revised law’s completion as the second simultaneous regional elections would begin in February next year.

In a limited meeting held at the Presidential Office on Monday, Jokowi acknowledged several issues were still being deliberated at the House. He hoped some of the crucial issues in the revised law could be agreed upon soon.

"This law has been long awaited as it will become a legal base in every stage of the upcoming simultaneous regional elections," Jokowi said.

Jokowi asserted that it was important for the government to propose a permanent revision and not get stuck with short-term political interests.

"[We] have to think of bigger goals, especially in maintaining the democratic process in the regions," he went on.

With such concern, President Jokowi assigned Tjahjo to intensify discussions with the House to solve the crucial issues in the draft law.

The President also urged Tjahjo to discuss the draft law with the General Elections Commission (KPU) as some stages of the planning and budgeting process for the 2017 elections had started since May 22.

The revision, which is part of a verdict set by the Constitutional Court, is related to the first simultaneous regional election in 2015. It includes matters regarding requirements on the necessary support to run as an independent, whether or not House and regional legislative council members must resign when running as a regional head candidate and sanctions for political parties who are absent in supporting a candidate in an election. (ebf)

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