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Jakarta Post

Election ethics council calls for greater power for Bawaslu

Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, December 7, 2016

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Election ethics council calls for greater power for Bawaslu Upholding rules: Election Organizers Ethics Council (DKPP) chairman Jimly Asshiddiqie talks with journalists in an interview in Jakarta. The DKPP called on Dec. 7 for greater power for election supervisory agencies. (Tempo/-)

T

he Election Organization Ethics Council (DKPP) has proposed that the Jakarta Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) have greater power to allow it to recommend the dismissal of political parties in violation of electoral rules.

DKPP chairman Jimly Asshidiqie presented the proposal during a hearing with a special committee tasked to deliberate a bill regulating the legislative and presidential elections at the House of Representatives on Wednesday, arguing that previous elections showed that political parties often violated regulations.

“As part of the election organizers, Bawaslu must be given legal standing to file requests to the Constitutional Court to dismiss any parties guilty of violating the ethics [of an election],” Jimly said, calling lawmakers to also amend the law on political parties to include such a stipulation.

(Read also: Agus-Sylviana commit most campaign violations: Bawaslu)

Jimly argued the existing regulation was insufficient to discipline parties because it only gave the government the authority to punish problematic parties, which he believed was prone to interference.

A House special committee is currently deliberating the election bill that has been initiated by the government, merging three laws regulating the matter, namely Law No. 8/ 2012 on legislative elections, Law No. 15/2011 on the implementation of elections and Law No. 42/2008 on presidential elections.

Lawmakers are targeting to complete deliberations by April next year to give time for organizers to prepare for the legislative and presidential elections that will take place simultaneously in 2019. (jun)

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