Police Support President's Idea On Elections Campaign

Jakarta, Jan 16 (ANTARA) - National Police Chief General Timur Pradopo said he supported President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono`s idea to eradicate mass rallies for the next general elections in 2014. "That is good," General Timur Pradopo said after signing a memorandum of understanding for the security of the 2014 general elections at the General Elections Commission (KPU) building here on Wednesday. "It is all regulated. We will just follow it. It is the KPU as the organizer that will regulate it," he said. KPU commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay meanwhile said that KPU could not ban people to present ideas or opinions relating to the implementation of elections campaign and would appreciate them all. "The law has regulated it all. We will see, as we also are not allowed to break the law," he said. Based on KPU Regulation Number 15 of 2012 on the stages, programs and schedule of the 2014 general elections, the campaign period would start on January 11, 2014 and last until April 5, 2014. Polling would be done on April 9, 2014. Political parties are not allowed to stage outdoor rallies and put up banners 21 days ahead of the cooling down period. Limited meetings however could be carried out during the period involving maximally 1,000 attendees at central levels and 250 at district/city levels. The meetings could be done with prior written notifications to the KPU, the Elections Monitoring Agency (Bawaslu) or the Elections Monitoring Committee (Panwaslu) and local police stations, he said. Outdoor rallies and campaign advertisements in the mass media are allowed only from March 16 to April 5, 2014. "So, the procedures and limitations have all been put in the law and we will follow it. However that is a good input. We will discuss it later, especially concerning the regulation for the holding of rallies," he said. President Yudhoyono recently proposed banning mobilization of thousands of people in outdoor rallies. He suggested indoor rallies involving only one to two thousand participants only so that supporters could digest visions and missions of the political parties well.