Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – The General Elections Commission (KPU) is expecting an extra-heavy workload on Monday, as all 24 political parties contesting the 2004 elections will rush to beat the deadline for registration of legislative candidates.

As of 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, no party had turned up to the KPU office on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Central Jakarta, to the disappointment of the commission's deputy chairman, Ramlan Surbakti, who had been waiting for the parties for almost the whole day.

Rumor had it that the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) would complete its list of legislative candidates on Sunday. The party submitted on Saturday 213 aspirants from 18 provinces to the commission, making it the only election contender to have submitted its legislative candidates, albeit in part.

Political parties have blamed a variety of difficulties faced by their legislative candidates in obtaining the required documents for their failure to submit the names before the deadline.

The Golkar Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB) have complained of difficulty in obtaining bills of health from doctors in recognized hospitals.

Besides, the complicated process of short-listing candidates has prompted the parties to delay their registration with the KPU.

Separately, the Elections Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) warned of security concerns that might disrupt elections in the conflict-prone provinces of Nanggro Aceh Darussalam, Maluku, Papua and Central Sulawesi.

Panwaslu member Rozy Munir said people's skepticism of the elections, security problems and armed violence were the result of the proposed elections in Aceh of legislative members and the president, where a major offensive against rebels is still under way.

At least six Aceh regencies – Aceh Jaya, Pidie, Bireuen, North Aceh, Central Aceh and East Aceh – were areas vulnerable to conflict during the elections, according to Rozy.

Papua, meanwhile, is currently plagued by controversy over the establishment of new provinces, public distrust in local government, conflict between local political elite groups, ethnic clashes and armed violence – problems that Rozy said could jeopardize the elections. Papua's regencies/municipalities of Jayapura, Sentani, Mimika and Manokwari were the areas most prone to conflict during next year's elections, he added.

In Central Sulawesi, the planned establishment of a new province, the segregation of areas based on ethnicity and religion, and the presence of thousands of displaced people could hamper the elections, Rozy said. He also gave a reminder about the need for extra precautions in view of potential conflict in Poso and Morowali during the elections.

Segregation of areas by religion and unresolved refugee problems will also pose a threat to elections in the Maluku capital, Ambon, and Central Maluku regency.

"Potential conflicts in those provinces could seriously threaten the success of the 2004 elections," Didik Supriyanto, another Panwaslu member told a media conference held by Panwaslu and the Peace Building Institute (ITP).

He said, for example, in Maluku, a political party due to hold an election campaign in several Muslim-based areas would have to pass predominantly Christian areas.

"Therefore, if someone provokes or triggers an issue that offends another religious community during a rally, there could be a riot," he said. He added that in Central Sulawesi, if a political party raised the issue of the establishment of a new province, it might stimulate violence among local people.

Therefore, he said, restrictions during the campaigning period must be imposed in conflict-ridden provinces, such as a ban against mass rallies.

"Peaceful campaigning must be carried out by political parties, particularly in those areas," he said, adding that at present he saw parties in those provinces had a commitment to peace.

Meanwhile, Ichsan Malik, Director of the ITP said elections should reconcile rather than trigger conflict. "We do not want Poso part II or Ambon part II to occur as we know the bloody conflicts in both Poso and Ambon broke out prior to the 1999 elections," he said.