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KPU worried bad weather will disrupt delivery of election materials
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Completed -- Officials from the West Papua General Elections Commission (KPU) check samples of ballots for the elections scheduled to be held on Feb.15 in the province. (JP/Wahyoe Boediwardhana)
P
rinting house PT Temprina Media Grafika (TMG) in Gresik, East Java, has completed the printing of 800,000 ballots for regional elections in West Papua but bad weather has triggered worries that delivery of election materials will be disrupted across the province.
West Papua is the electorate furthest to the east that will participate in the simultaneous regional elections scheduled for Feb.15. Its ballots were the latest batch printed by TMG Gresik.
“Because only 800,000 ballots are needed, the printing process took only eight hours. We have packed and begun to distribute the ballots. It is expected that all ballots will have arrived in municipalities and regencies in the province by Jan. 30,” said Abdul Halim Shidiq from the West Papua General Elections Commission’s (KPU) logistics and finance division.
He said the printing of the 800,000 ballots was completed on Jan. 20. Once they arrive in each regency and municipality, local election offices will begin to carry out the sorting and folding of ballots before they are packed and sent inside ballot drop boxes to villages, districts and polling stations across Fak-fak, Kaimana, Manokwari and Sorong.
Abdul said KPU West Papua was worried weather conditions would hamper delivery of the ballots to polling stations.
He said Raja Ampat was the farthest location the officers had to reach. “Around 90 percent of its area is sea and islands. Currently, waves in Raja Ampat are quite high. We will rent a longboat or big vessel that is more stable in rough waters. There is quite a huge challenge here,” said Abdul. (ebf)
