KPU member Wahyu Setiawan said it was important for the House to pass the bill so that the commission could immediately outline its work agenda since the legislative and presidential elections will run simultaneously in April 2019.

“An election bill prepared as soon as possible would be very beneficial for political parties participating in the 2019 election and all Indonesian people because they would be able to adjust themselves to the new rules to get quality election results,” Wahyu told journalists on the sidelines of his work visit to Banyumas regency, Central Java, on Saturday.

The election bill merges three laws, namely Law No. 8/2012 on legislative elections, Law No.15/2011 on election organizers and Law No. 42/2008 on presidential elections.

“We are worried that stages of the simultaneous legislative and presidential elections in April 2019 would not be prepared well if the new election law is passed too late. The sooner the House passes the election bill into law, the better prepared the KPU will be ahead of the 2019 legislative and presidential elections,” said Wahyu.

Despite such slow deliberation, he said, the KPU has continued preparing for the 2019 elections and communicating with the House, which has the authority to pass the bill into law. (ebf)

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