Simultaneous Regional Head Elections Begin in 264 Indonesian Regions

Jakarta (Antara Bali)- A number of eligible voters began to go to polling stations to cast their ballots in Indonesias first-ever simultaneous regional head elections (pilkada) being held in 264 regions on Wednesday morning.

Initially, the pilkada would be organized in 269 regions, but the General Election Commission (KPU) announced on Tuesday evening that regional head elections in five regions were postponed.

The five regions are Central Kalimantan Province, Fakfak District (Papua), Pematang Siantar municipality (North Sumatra), Simalungun District (North Sumatra) and Manado city (North Sulawesi), according to KPU Commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay.

More than 800 pairs of regional head candidates contest in the elections to elect eight governors and vice governors, 222 district heads and their deputies, and 34 mayors and their deputies.

According to the KPU data recently, some 100,461,890 Indonesians comprising 50,297,463 men and 50,164,427 women, are eligible voters in the 2015 pilkada,

Besides, there are also 268,652 people consisting of 135,523 men and 133,129 women in the Additional Final Voters List (DPTb-1).

"There will be 2,031,465 first-time voters comprising 1,020,511 men and 1,010,954 women. The number of voters with disabilities is 128,391 people," according to KPU Chairman Husni Kamil recently.

According to Indonesian Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti, more than 140 thousand police officers are deployed to secure the regional head elections on December 9.

The police personnel include those of the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) units and provincial police.

To help the police in providing security for the pilkada being held in more than 50 percent of Indonesias regions, the Indonesia military (TNI) is set to deploy 35,079 soldiers.  (WDY)