Indonesia Gears Up For Presidential Election by Fardah

Jakarta, May 19, 2014 (Antara) - The General Election Commission (KPU) has started the process of the implementation of the July 9 presidential election, after announcing the results of the parliamentary elections held on April 9, 2014.

"We have sent circular letters to political parties so that they can prepare documents needed for the nomination of presidential and vice presidential pairs," said the KPU chairman, Husni Kamil Manik recently.


The KPU has set a three-day deadline - from May 18 to 20, 2014 - for the registration of presidential candidates. In accordance with the KPU announcement Number 416/KPU/V/2014, registration for the presidential and vice presidential candidate pairs will be opened from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the KPU central office in Jalan Imam Bonjol no.29, Central Jakarta.

"The required documents for presidential and vice presidential nomination include those on health condition, supports from the political party or joint political parties and the number of parliamentary seats that they have won," he stated.

A political party or a group of political parties wishing to register or nominate a presidential-vice presidential pair should win at least 20 percent of the 560 seats or 112 seats of the House of Representatives (DPR).

The political party or group of political parties can also name presidential and vice presidential candidates if they won 25 percent or 31.2 million votes of the total valid votes in the legislative elections.

The KPU on May 9 announced the official results of the April 9 legislative elections with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) in the first place winning 18.95 percent of the votes.

But none of the political parties managed to meet the threshold for presidential nomination, so they have to establish coalition.

In the second place is Golkar winning 14.75 percent, followed by Greater Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) 11.81 percent, Democrat Party (PD) 10.19 percent, National Awakening Party (PKB) 9.04 percent, National Mandate Party (PAN) 7.57 percent, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) 6.79 percent, National Democrat Party (Nasdem) 6.72 percent, United Development Party (PPP) 6.53 percent, Peoples Conscience Party (Hanura) 5.26 percent, Crescent and Star Party (PBB) 1.46 percent, and Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKP) 0.91 percent.

The total valid votes in 33 provinces were 124,972,491. Based on the results, two political parties, PBB and PKPI, failed to achieve the Parliamentary threshold of 3.5 percent of votes.

Of the Parliaments total 590 seats, PDIP has secured 109 seats, Golkar Party 91 seats, Gerindra 73 seats, PD won 61 seats, PAN 49 seats, PKB 47 seats, PKS 40 seats, PPP 39 seats, NasDem 35 seats, and Hanura 16 seats.

On the first day of the registration, no political parties came to the KPU headquarters to register their presidential and vice presidential candidates.

"We have not received any political parties who came here to register their presidential and vice presidential candidates. They will possibly come on the last day of registration (on Tuesday)," KPU Commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay said on Sunday evening (May 18).

On the second day, Monday (May 19), Joko Widodo (Jokowi) of PDIP and Jusuf Kalla of Golkar registered themselves at the KPU soon after they formally declared themselves as the presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Jokowi is currently the governor of Jakarta while Jusuf Kalla is a former vice president. PDIP has coalesced with PKB, Nasdem, and Hanura for the presidential race.

On the same day, Jokowis rival, Prabowo Subianto from Gerindra and Hatta Rajasa from PAN, also formally declared themselves as presidential and vice presidential candidates. They are expected to register themselves at the KPU Headquarters on Tuesday, May 20. Gerindra is supported by PAN, PKS, PPP, PBB, and Golkar.

In the security aspect, the Indonesian police has expressed readiness to provide each pair of presidential and vice presidential nominees with security protection soon after the KPU officially announces their names.

"Soon after the General Election Commission officially announces their names on May 18-20, we are deploying a number of police officers to protect the pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates," National Police Chief General Sutarman said recently.

Sutarman said the police had in fact deployed a limited number of officers to safeguard those announced by the political parties participating in the parliamentary elections as their presidential candidates, he said.

The police would also protect the presidential and vice presidential candidates family members from any intimidation and threat, he added.

Besides, a total of 15 teams of the medical specialists are ready to check the health condition of the presidential and vice presidential candidates.

Fourteen teams of the medical specialists were gathered by the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) and another team was prepared by the Gatot Subroto hospital, according to IDI general chairman dr. Zaenal Abdidin.

"All the medical team members are ready to check the health condition of the presidential and vice presidential candidates beginning Monday (May 19)," he stated.

Shohibul Anshor Siregar of the North Sumatra University voiced his hope that the implementation of the upcoming July 9, 2014 presidential elections could be fairer and better than the April 9 legislative elections.

"The presidential elections must offer no chances for the organizers to become traders like in the legislative elections," he said in Medan, North Sumatra, recently.

The government should work hard to make the people aware of the importance for them to use their rights to vote in the presidential elections. It should now concentrate on making the presidential elections a success, he added.

He stated that the government still needed to make improvements on the elections mechanism at polling stations, polling committees, electoral district committees, voting organizer groups and the general elections commission.

Based on the evaluation of the implementation of the April parliamentary elections, the KPU, in fact, promised to improve the performance of executors of the upcoming presidential elections.

"In principle, we agreed to make an evaluation and we have issued a circular on the human resource issue. Therefore, concerning personnel of subsidiary election organizing agencies in provinces, cities, districts, sub-districts (PPK) and poll committees (PPS) as well as poll station officers (KPPS), we must evaluate them all to improve the presidential election implementation," KPU Commissioner Ferry Kurnia said recently.
     Following the July 9 presidential election mostly like to be participated in by two pairs only - Jokowi-Jusuf Kalla and Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa, winner of the election will be announced on July 26. New president will be inaugurated on October 20, 2014.
    This year's presidential election will be Indonesias third direct and democratic presidential election since the countrys political reform occurring between 1990s and early 2000s. (*)
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