The new commissioners are Nuning Rodiyah, Sudjarwanto Rahmat, Yuliandre Darwis, Ubaidillah, Dewi Setyarini, H. Obsatar Sinaga, Mayong Suryo Laksono, Hardly Stefano Penelon Parnela and Agung Suprio.

House Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs elected the commissioners through a voting mechanism after screening each candidate since Monday.

“The successful candidates were elected based on their integrity, capabilities and personality,” Commission I chairman Abdul Kharis Almasyhari told journalists in Jakarta on Tuesday.

(Read also: Watchdog calls for tougher broadcasting commission)

Article 10, paragraph 2 of the 2002 Broadcasting Law rules that the House is responsible for selecting KPI commissioners, based on public aspirations.

"After the screening process, we held an internal meeting to decide on the nine commissioner candidates through a voting mechanism after we were involved in a debate,” Abdul added.

Evita Nursanti of the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) stressed that the debate was tough as lawmakers were divided on who deserved to be selected.

The neutrality of the candidates was one consideration because the commissioners would face tough tasks, particularly during the regional elections in 2017, Evita said.

The House will approve the new commissioners in a plenary meeting on Wednesday. The new KPI members will have a three-year tenure. (bbn)

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