T

he Jakarta chapter of the General Elections Commission (KPU) said Monday that the 2012 gubernatorial election day is planned to be in August, coinciding with next year’s fasting month of Ramadhan.

“Election day is likely to fall on Aug. 8 next year,” Sumarno, commission member for public relations, said.

However, the date is not yet fixed and there are going to be further discussions on the issue, Sumarno said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

The August date was considered the most ideal, giving enough time for preparation and the possibility of second round voting, he said.

“[If] election day is held after the fasting month, there would not be enough time should we need to hold second round election,” he said.

Law No. 32/2004 on Regional Administration states that an election must be held no later than one month before the end of an incumbent’s term.

The first term of Governor Fauzi Bowo will end on Oct. 7, 2012, meaning that an election must be scheduled before Sep. 7, 2012.

The KPU is predicting that there will be a second round in next year’s election.

“Unlike other regions, the capital city requires candidates to secure more than 50 percent of votes to win the election. It won’t be easy for that to happen,” Sumarno said.

The 2012 Jakarta gubernatorial election may still be a year away but in recent weeks political parties and prominent figures have been making a head start.

The latest one to enter the arena is economist Faisal Basri, who said that he would run in the election as an independent candidate, believing that it would give him an advantage over candidates supported by corrupt political parties.

Faisal is one of the founding members of the National Mandate Party (PAN), and once served on the central board of PAN. The 51-year-old economist also ran in the 2007 gubernatorial poll.

Incumbent governor Fauzi Bowo has not yet issued an official statement to run but it is almost certain that he will seek re-election.

Among would-be challengers are: the chairman of the Jakarta branch of the Democratic Party, Nachrowi Ramli; chairman of the Jakarta branch of the Golkar Party, Priya Ramadhani; and the chairman of the Jakarta branch of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Triwisaksana.

Other potential candidates include Firman Abadi, chairman of the fan club for rock band Slank; former culture and tourism minister, Marzuki Usman; and former sport and youth affairs minister, Adhyaksa Dault.

In the 2007 election, Fauzi Bowo and his running mate, Prijanto, were nominated by a coalition of 13 political parties, including the heavyweights: the Democratic Party and Golkar, in the city’s first ever gubernatorial election.