Adianto P. Simamora, Jakarta – Independent candidates will be eligible to contest regional elections for governor, mayor and regent positions by June at the earliest, the General Elections Commission (KPU) said Wednesday.

KPU chairman Abdul Hafiz Anshary said it would take the poll body one month to issue supporting regulations for the newly passed revision of Law No. 32/2004, which allows independent candidates to run for office.

"We have already drafted the necessary technical regulations for independent hopefuls. We expect they will be able to contest any regional election, as long as the registration for candidates opens in June," Abdul told reporters.

The House of Representatives endorsed the revised regional administration law Tuesday, after a lengthy debate ensued following last July's Constitutional Court ruling in favor of allowing nonpartisan candidates to run in regional elections.

Currently, only Aceh allows independent candidates to run in local elections, which many saw as a move to accommodate representatives of a former rebel group. Aceh's current governor is the first independent candidate to win a local election.

Although the issue of independent candidates is covered in the Aceh administration laws, the Aceh elections set a precedent for other regions, according to the Constitutional Court.

Under the revised regional administration law, independent candidates are required to submit documents proving they have the support of between 3 and 6.5 percent of residents of cities or regencies that have a population between 250,000 and one million.

Independent gubernatorial candidates must collect support from 3 to 4 percent of the population. Candidates are required to demonstrate their popular support by submitting signed petitions, along with copies of signatories' identity cards.

Critics have said the requirement of 3 to 6.5 percent of residents is too stringent because not all residents are eligible voters.

Abdul said independent hopefuls would go through the same selection process Regional Representatives Council member candidates underwent in the 2004 elections. "Our toughest challenge with independent candidates is verifying the validity of data of candidates' supporters," he said.

In response to the passing of the regional administration law, the East Java elections commission said it was ready to accommodate independent candidates in the gubernatorial elections in August.

"All the elections commissions in the provinces and regencies must comply with the law," East Java KPU member Muhammad Nabil told Antara news agency.

He said he expected there would be more than five candidates contesting the gubernatorial election, with at least one of them nonpartisan.

Abdul said the KPU would soon coordinate with local administrations to discuss financial sources to support the nomination of independent candidates. "We will ask whether the local administrations can allocate a budget for the participation of independent candidates," he said.