President To Consider Urgency Before Issuing Perppu

Bogor, W Java (Antara) -- President Joko Widodo said here on Wednesday that he will issue a government regulation in lieu of law (perppu) on regional elections only if it is an urgent requirement.

"This (the perppu) will be produced only if the situation urgently requires it. So is it urgent now or not? The General Elections Commission (KPU) has extended (the deadline for registration) by seven days. So let us just wait and see," he stressed at the Presidential Palace after meeting with heads of state institutions.

President Joko Widodo declined to comment when questioned about what would be done if no new candidates emerged in the next seven days, but he stated that political parties could be approached to propose their best candidates.

"Let us just wait and see," he reiterated, adding that the government would certainly do it.

"Well, (we would) tell party chiefs to nominate candidates in regions that still have only one ticket," he pointed out.

Moreover, the head of state indicated that he did not want to speak about the perppu till the extended deadline expired, although he hinted that a draft had been prepared.

"We have to be prepared with an umbrella in case there is rainfall," he remarked.

The president held a meeting in Bogor to discuss three issues. These were related to the common perception of development in Indonesia, the state address (speech) and the simultaneous regional head elections (pilkada).

The KPU had announced that seven regions have less than two tickets to contest for the pilkada scheduled for December 9.

These include Tasikmalaya in West Java; Surabaya, Blitar, and Pacitan in East Java; Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara; Samarinda in East Kalimantan; and North Timor Tengah in East Nusa Tenggara, Chairman of the KPU Husni Kamil Manik noted recently.

 Regional head elections in the aforementioned seven regions will have to be postponed if they fail to increase the number of candidates.

The Indonesian government will hold the pilkada to elect governors in nine provinces, district heads in 224 districts, and mayors in 36 cities.

Indonesia has 34 provinces, 420 districts, and 94 cities. A province is headed by a governor, a district by a district head, and a city by a mayor, according to data published in early 2014.

Till July 30, the number of regional head candidates that registered with the KPU increased to 827 tickets, including 145 incumbents, Manik stated recently.  (WDY)