Jakarta – Distribution of left-over votes, parliamentary and electoral thresholds and vote casting methods were among the issues argued by House of Representatives lawmakers and government officials debating the election bill Monday.

But despite the amount of time the bill has been under dispute, lawmakers said they were optimistic it would be passed Tuesday.

The National Awakening Party (PKB) was the first to propose the collection of residual votes at the provincial level, before counting seats won. The scheme is likely to benefit PKB which has strongholds in Java.

The party's idea has been backed by the Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the Democratic Pioneer Star (BPD) faction and the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS) faction.

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), the National Mandate Party, the Democratic Party and the Star Reform Party (PBR) have each proposed to distribute remaining votes in each electoral district.

The House also debated the percentage of a parliamentary threshold. Lawmakers had agreed next year's election would adopt a parliamentary threshold but, until Monday night, they were still in dispute between 1.5 percent (of total House seats), 2 percent or 3 percent for the threshold.

The four biggest factions at the House – Golkar, PDI-P, PKS and PKB – said 3 percent of House seats should be adopted as the parliamentary threshold. Ganjar Pranowo of PDI-P said 3 percent had been proposed to ensure a more serious attitude toward forming political parties.

Other middle to low factions proposed to adopt between a 1.5 percent to 2 percent parliamentary threshold. "We need (a lower threshold) to guarantee the representation off all the nation's elements," said Lena Maryana Mukti of PPP.

The electoral threshold was also discussed Monday. The current law applies an electoral threshold system, which bars parties that won less than 3 percent of the House seats in the 2004 elections from contesting the 2009 polls, unless they establish new parties.

Small factions including BPD, PDS and the Reform Star Party (PBR) said the House should drop the electoral threshold for the 2009 election. Other parties said the electoral threshold should remain active for the 2009 election, but the 2014 election should adopt a new parliamentary threshold.

But PDI-P's Ganjar said, "We will agree to scrap electoral thresholds, but the remaining votes have to be collected at the provincial level".

The effort to accommodate their parties' interests can be seen from the way factions proposed the method to cast ballots.

Golkar, PKS and PDS said votes should be cast by marking ballot papers, while PPP and PAN opted to keep the traditional way of punching ballot papers.

Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, head of the House's special committee deliberating the election bill, confirmed the House would still pass the bill Tuesday. "If the dispute can not be solved through lobbying, we will try to accommodate the two alternatives that will make it easier to vote," he said. (alf)