Indonesia: Jakarta Elections Commission to lay out campaign rules | The Jakarta Post

The Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPU Jakarta) is planning to hold a meeting on Wednesday on campaign mechanisms for the upcoming gubernatorial election. KPU Jakarta will meet with representatives of the campaign teams of all six candidate pairs at its office on Jl. Budi Kemuliaan in Central Jakarta. Suhartono, the poll-body head for campaigning affairs, said on Tuesday that the meeting aimed to ensure that each campaign team understood the campaign regulations and to prevent clashes between the teams on illegal campaigning or smear tactics. “We want them to understand what can be done and when to do it, and also what they cannot do,” Suhartono said. The meeting would also discuss campaign schedules during the two-week campaign period, which will start on June 24. “We will set dates so that each candidate pairs get an equal amount of time. Places for campaign activities involving large crowds will also be scheduled to maintain security and public order.”

Indonesia: Critics say new election law makes no progress | The Jakarta Post

The newly-endorsed Legislative Elections Law will make no significant changes for better elections and democracy in the future because it is purely based on pragmatic political interests of the nine parties at the House of Representatives, according to critics. Regional Representatives Council (DPD) Speaker Irman Gusman criticized the House’s plenary session, which reduced the election bill’s substance to the four crucial issues on the legislative threshold, electoral system, electoral districts’ magnitude and vote counting method, which he said had no direct relation or benefits for the people, a fair legislative election and a better democracy in the future.

Indonesia: As Jakarta Poll Nears, The Fraud Alert Rises | The Jakarta Globe

The week-long window for political parties to register their candidates for the Jakarta gubernatorial election opens on Tuesday, but already poll organizers are voicing concerns about the potential for fraud. Aminullah, a member of the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD), said on Sunday that registration would run from Tuesday until next Monday. “The required documents that they must file with us are the same as those for the independent candidates, except of course without any petitions of support from registered residents,” he said. The required documents include a copy of a high school completion certificate, a statement of good conduct from the Jakarta Police and a letter of support from the nominating party or parties.

Indonesia: House factions compete as deadline to revise Indonesian election law nears | The Jakarta Post

The process of revising the 2008 Legislative Elections Law has come to a halt as factions in the House of Representatives continue to jockey to bolster their political fortunes in 2014, a senior lawmaker says. Gandjar Pranowo, chairman of the House working committee deliberating revisions to the law, said the process had to be finished by April to avoid disrupting preparations for the next elections. “All factions must leave their interests behind and make political compromises to settle the three major issues. Once the revision is endorsed into law, the General Elections Commission [KPU] and the Election Supervisory Body [Bawaslu] can prepare everything for the elections,” Gandjar said on Wednesday.

Indonesia: ‘Flawed system’ responsible for rampant poll violations | The Jakarta Post

Experts have blamed political immaturity and a flawed electoral system for rampant poll violations in local elections throughout the country. “The country’s poor electoral justice system has allowed opportunists to commit violations. This trend has persisted since the first direct local election in 2005. I have seen no significant efforts either by the government or the House of Representatives to fix the problem,” Hadar Nafiz Gumay of the Center for Electoral Reform (Cetro) said.

The General Elections Monitoring Body (Bawaslu) announced last week that it received 1,718 reports of poll violations in 92 local elections in 2011. The majority of the reports concerned finances related to politics. Hadar said that direct local elections were not problems in themselves.

Indonesia: Strict Registration Rules for Elections Ensnare 13 Indonesian Parties | The Jakarta Globe

The number of new players on the political scene ahead of the 2014 general elections will be limited to one, as only the National Democrat Party met the official verification requirements, the government announced on Friday.

“Out of the 14 political parties that applied for verification, the only one that qualified was the NasDem Party,” Justice and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsuddin told a press conference.

The government was supposed to announce the verification results last month. Deputy Minister Denny Indrayana said that since only NasDem qualified at that time, the ministry had given three other parties more time while the other 10 withdrew their bid. “But until the scheduled deadline passed [the three] failed to meet the requirements set by the law,” he said.

Indonesia: Election watchdogs call to revoke election bodies’ selection team | The Jakarta Post

A group of election watchdogs has called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to revoke the newly established election team designated to select general election bodies’ members for not representing the public. “The president should revise his decree No. 33/2011 on the establishment of the election bodies’ selection team and remove two ministers from the selection team,” Indonesian Civilized Circle director (LIMA) Ray Rangkuti said in a statement released on Tuesday.

The president inaugurates the selection team designated to select the General Elections Commission (KPU) and General Elections Monitoring body (Bawaslu) members earlier this month. Girindra Sandino, a research coordinator from the Independent Elections Monitoring Committee (KIPP) said that the two ministers who act as the team’s chairman and deputy would only represent the ruling party and current presidential regime.

Indonesia: Activists, politicians form women’s caucus | The Jakarta Post

Held at the Denpasar Legislative Council building, the discussion was attended by only three of the 30 invited women councillors. The three councillors were Ni Nyoman Sumiati of Karangasem, Tutik Kusuma Wardhani of Buleleng and Utami Dwi Suryadi of Denpasar.

Sumiati and Wardhani talked about their political journey to underline what they said was a prevalent discriminatory culture practiced by political parties and male politicians. Such a culture was one of the primary barriers preventing women’s participation in politic. “Male politicians still find it difficult to accept women in a party’s structure,” Sumiati said, admitting that at one point in her campaign she had to hire bodyguards to cope with the political pressure.

Indonesia: Higher legislative threshold: Threat or remedy for democracy? | The Jakarta Post

The New Indonesia Party (PIB), the majority party on the Singkawang Legislative Council, may not be able to maintain its existence on the council should the much-debated bill on legislative elections be enacted in its current state. Singkawang regency, which is dominated by Chinese-Indonesians, saw four of its 25 legislative council seats filled by members of the PIB, a party known for its policies that accommodate the interests of the Chinese descents.

Although the party only gained 0.19 percent of votes nationwide in the 2009 polls, putting it in 34th position on the list of the total 38 political parties in the country, the PIB managed to win the majority of 11.91 percent of regional legislative votes in Singkawang. But that would mean nothing if the House of Representatives decided to approve the election bill that critics say would jeopardize democracy in the regions.

Indonesia: Govt set to verify 14 new political parties | The Jakarta Post

The Law and Human Rights Ministry will begin verifying 14 new political parties on Tuesday, ministry state administration director Asyarie Syihabudin said on Monday. “We have formed teams, each consisting of six ministry officials to be deployed to check the parties’ preparedness as general elections contestants,” he said.

The verification processes, which would see whether the parties’ administrative, human and physical resources have met the requirements set by the 2011 Political Party Law, will be conducted until Sep. 20, Asyarie said. The law, for example, requires all parties to maintain offices in all 33 provinces, 75 percent of the cities and regencies in each province and 50 percent of the districts in each city and regency.

Indonesia: Watchdog Asks For Right to Cast Protest Votes | The Jakarta Globe

Should voters who favor no candidate be allowed to express this on their ballot paper? The Independent Committee for Election Monitoring (KIPP) believes so and has proposed that lawmakers accommodate the right of these voters, referred to as golput (white group) , by providing a “vote no” column on the paper ballot.

According to KIPP coordinator Girindra Sandino, the “vote no” column might help minimize the chances of corrupt candidates, or old faces who broke their promises, being elected. “The voters who feel confused and are not satisfied with the candidates will have room to express [that feeling] on the ballot paper,” Girindra said. The “vote no” could be a healthy incentive for leaders to improve the political system and for the government to improve its performance, he added.

Indonesia: Constituency debate appears likely to stall Indonesian election bill | The Jakarta Post

Major political parties have proposed an increase in the number of electoral districts or constituencies, in a move aimed at simplifying the electoral system, but analysts have warned the policy could encourage gerrymandering.

The polarizing proposal, which has been opposed by smaller parties, will likely further stall the ongoing deliberation on a revision of the general election law, as legislators were still bogged down in a debate about increasing the parliamentary threshold from the current 2.5 percent.

Indonesia: Election violence leaves 21 dead in Indonesia | Australia Network News

Indonesian police say 21 people have died in election-related violence in Papua. Clashes between hundreds of supporters of rival election candidates killed 17 people and injured dozens in remote Puncak district on Sunday.

Local police chief Alex Korwa Armed says they were armed with machetes, rocks and arrows and the mobs torched houses and cars. He says dozens of extra police and soldiers have been sent to secure the area and the situation is tense but under control.

The recently created district, which is only accessible by plane, is scheduled to hold its first local elections on November the 9th.

Indonesia: Parties propose rescheduled gubernatorial election in Aceh | The Jakarta Post

Political tensions were expected to calm gradually in the once-restive Aceh after parties agreed to accept nominations of independent candidates on the condition that the gubernatorial election would be rescheduled.

In a meeting with the Aceh and Papua Desk at the House of Representatives, all local and national party functionaries in Aceh retracted their protests against the Constitutional Court’s controversial verdict on independent candidates to prevent the regulatory conflict from igniting into a greater conflict.

Indonesia: House to Rule on Party Electoral Threshold Level | The Jakarta Globe

A plenary session of the House of Representatives will rule on Tuesday on a draft election bill that includes an unsettled clause about the electoral threshold level for political parties.

Viva Yoga Mauladi, House faction deputy chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), said that because the factions had been unable to agree on three clauses, the leadership of the House, also known as the DPR, agreed on Monday to bring the draft bill to the plenary session for a decision.

Indonesia: House finds loopholes in election mechanism | The Jakarta Post

The Election Law will see major changes after a legislative committee, established to probe alleged election fraud in the 2009 polls, found that many alleged election violations were due to loopholes in the current law, lawmakers said on Wednesday. The findings prompted the House of Representatives to delay deliberation of the revisions to the Election Law.

Committee chairman Chairuman Harahap of the Golkar Party said a slight delay would not be a problem because his committee’s purpose was to ensure transparent and accountable elections in the future.

“We are working very hard to finish deliberation of the bill on time even though at the same time we have the election fraud committee, which has made many interesting findings about many alleged violations in the last elections,” he said.

Editorials: Defending direct elections | The Jakarta Post

The political reform movement that began in 1998 has significantly transformed the democratic atmosphere in Indonesia through amendments to the 1945 Constitution. One of the fundamental changes relates to the electoral mechanism for regional leaders.

We used to have indirect elections where governors, mayors and regents were chosen by members of local legislative councils. A year after the enactment of the 2004 Law on Regional Administration, regional leaders were elected directly through a “one man, one vote” mechanism.

Indonesia: Committee may probe alleged fraud in Indonesian presidential election | The Jakarta Post

The House’s committee tasked with inquiring into alleged election fraud involving a justice and a former poll body member may expand its probe to other cases, including alleged crimes during the 2009 presidential poll.

Committee chairman Chairuman Harahap said that since his committee’s purpose was to ensure transparent and accountable elections in the future, it was necessary for it to review the 2009 legislative and presidential election.

Indonesia: NGO says House arrogant over Indonesian election law revision | The Jakarta Post

An NGO says the recent attempt by the House of Representatives to revise the political package laws was arrogant, as it centered solely on how to increase votes and not on improving quality.

“The lawmakers, if they really have concerns, should deliberate firmer rules on matters like how to encourage political parties to be more transparent in relations with money, or they could also think of a better system that would allow them to recruit better members in the future,” center for electoral reform director Hadar Gumay said Thursday.