KPU BEGINS PREPARING PUBLIC DEBATE AMONG PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

Jakarta, May 19 (ANTARA) - The General Elections Commission (KPU) here Tuesday began discussing a plan to organize a public debate among the country's presidential and vice presidential candidates in the runup to the July 8 race.

KPU Chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshary said the commission had begun to discuss such things as the dates, moderators and panelists for the scheduled debate.

To ensure strict neutrality, KPU was considering to hold the debate at the KPU building with an audience of about 150 people and facilities for the media to cover the event.

"We will possibly host the debate between June 13 and July 4," he said.

About the panelists, he said, the KPU had so far come up with four names whose preparedness still had to be confirmed.

The debate was intended to cover a wide range of topics such as the strategy to run a good and clean administration, law enforcement, upholding the rule of law and human rights, privision of sufficient food, combating unemployment and poverty.

The candidates would also be expected to speak on education, sciences and technology, religion, health, the environment, strategic development priorities for the next five years.

The KPU at its plenary session on Tuesday also discussed the results of the physical and mental health examinations conducted by medical teams on the three pairs of presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

The three pairs, namely Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto, Megawati-Prabowo and Susilo Bamabng Yudhoyono-Boediono , on May 17 and 18 underwent the mandatory health checkups at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Central Jakarta.