KPU TO DECLARE SBY PRESIDENT-ELECT ON AUGUST 18

Jakarta, Aug 14 (ANTARA) - The General Elections Commission (KPU) will hold a plenary session on August 18 to declare Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono respectively as president- and vice president-elect, KPU chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshary said.

"We have decided to conduct the declaration at 10am on August 18 at the KPU building," he said after a KPU plenary meeting on Friday to discuss the issue as well as the 3rd distribution of seats in the House of Representatives (DPR).

He said KPU would invite heads of state institutions such as the Constitutional Court (MK), the Supreme Court (MA), the DPR, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the Regional Representative Council (DPD) to the event in which the KPU would also present minutes on the results of the elections.

According to the law on presidential election, KPU has to present the minutes to MPR, DPR, DPD, MK, MA, the president, political parties or group of political parties that have nominated the candidates as well as the president-and vice president-elects.

On August 12, the MK rejected the complaints from Megawati and Jusuf Kalla thus confirming the election of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

In the presidential race on July 8, incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with his running mate Boediono emerged as the winner collecting 60.80 percent of votes, defeating former president Megawati who paired up with Prabowo and incumbent vice president Jusuf Kalla and his running mate Wiranto.

As Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono won more than 50 percent of the votes in more than 20 percent of the country's 33 provinces no runoff had been done.