RI'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION DAY POSSIBLY JULY 9

Jakarta, Jan 22 (ANTARA) - Indonesia's presidential election will possibly be held on July 9 this year, General Election Commission (KPU) member Andi Nurpati said here on Thursday.

He said the KPU, at a recent plenary meeting, had decided not to consider the rime needed to settle possible legislative election disputes in setting the time-table for the first round of the presidential election so that the election could take place in early July 2009.
"The time table is still under discussion. The official results of the legislative election announced on May 9, 2009 will be the basis for the political parties to name their presidential and vice presidential candidates. If the nominations have to wait for the settlement of legislative election disputes, we will face logistical problems," Andi Nurpati said.
He said if the presidential election was conducted on July 9, there would be enough time to prepare the election logistics because the procurement committee would auction its logistics procurement contracts starting in April 2009.
"But especially in the case of ballot papers, they cannot be printed until there are eligible presidential and vice presidential candidates," he said.
Commenting on a proposal from East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Provincial Legislative Assembey (DPRD) chairman Melkianus Adoe that the legislative election be held after April 9, 2009, Nurpati said the KPU was considering it.
Adoe and another member of the East Nusatenggara DPRD came to the KPU head office on Wednesday to ask for a later date for the legislative election because April 9 would be a holy day for Catholics.
Nurhadi said the KPU was discussing another alternative so that Catholic people in NTT could observe their holy day while exercising their right to vote.
"But we have to make necessary approaches because if the date is postponed, it will have an impact on other election schedules," he said.
Meanwhile, another KPU member, Endang Sulastri, said the first round of the presidential election would probably be conducted early July 2009 and the KPU had no intention of changing the schedule of the legislative election.