Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – The national polls body agreed Thursday that the presidential election will take place on July 8, 2009, with a runoff, if needed, to be held on Sept. 8.
The General Elections Commission (KPU) said the decision had been reached at a meeting attended by all seven members of the body.
"We agreed to schedule the presidential election for July 8. But the official announcement will be made through a KPU regulation," commission member Abdul Azis told The Jakarta Post.
He said the agreement came after a review of technical points, including the preparations for logistics tenders, and registering and verifying documents on presidential and vice presidential candidates.
The KPU earlier said the presidential poll would be held on July 9.
KPU member Andi Nurpati said the time line had been set without considering the target pledged by the Constitutional Court to settle possible election disputes within 21 days at the most. The election law gives the court a maximum period of 30 days to settle them.
However, the KPU insists that the court cut the settlement period to a maximum of 17 days to ensure the presidential elections can be held in early July, or else risk a possible runoff taking place after the incumbent ends his term on Oct. 20.
The KPU says it will announce the results of the April 9 legislative elections on May 9.
The commission also decided Thursday to issue a regulation allocating a quota of seats for female legislative candidates. Under the regulation, female candidates will get at least one of three seats won by a political party in every electoral district during the legislative elections.
"We will apply a 2:1 mechanism in the distribution of legislative seats for women," said KPU member Endang Sulastri.
She added the KPU had finished drafting the regulation and was awaiting a response from the government about its proposal on a government "regulation-in-lieu-of-law" as a legal umbrella for such a plan.
The regulation was proposed shortly after the Constitutional Court ruled that legislative seats would automatically go to candidates who won the most votes.
The ruling is seen as detrimental to the chances of women hoping to win seats at the elections, despite an existing "affirmative action" mechanism already in place.