PRESIDENT TO ISSUE REGULATION ON VALID BALLOT PAPER TICKING

Jakarta, Feb 13 (ANTARA) - The government will issue a government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on the valid way of marking ballot papers in general elections, a spokesman said.

Presidential advisor on legal affairs, Denny Indrayana, said here on Friday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had instructed his staff to immediately formulate a draft of the planned government regulation in lieu of law.
"This afternoon, the president instructed his staff to formulaten a draft regulation on the ticking of ballot papers. Considering the urgent need (for a Perppu, it is expected that the formulation can be completed soon for immediate signing by the president," Denny said.
Denny said that President Yudhoyono did not touch on a period of time for the formulation of a draft regulation concerned. But he hoped that a draft regulation could be completed in one or two weeks.
"The aim of issuing a government regulation is just to save the people's votes, because the simulation conducted in the past few days indicated a big potential to tick a ballot paper more than once," he said.
In addition, Denny said the government regulation was to be stipulated to save the democracy and to bring a success in the implementation of legislative general election, 2009.
"To save the people's votes, the president will have to issue a government regulation on the ticking of ballot paper," he said, adding that in a draft regulation, double ticking of ballot in columm of legislative candidates and political parties they represent will be regarded as legitimate.
The law No 10/2008 on general election underscores the ticking of ballot paper more than once as legitimate. But the result of simulation indicated there was about 20 percent of mistake due to double ticking in the columm of legislative candidates and political parties.
A discourse on government regulation on the ticking of ballot paper was firstly forwarded during a consultative meeting between the government and the general election commission (KPU) and state agencies in late 2008.
At that time, the idea to issue a government regulation on the ticking to save the people's votes was conveyed by the president.