Hotli Simanjuntak, Banda Aceh – The Aceh Independent Election Committee (KIP) emphasized Sunday that the planned Koran proficiency test for legislative candidates in the province would determine each candidate's eligibility to contest the election.

"Candidates who are absent or fail to take the Koran proficiency test will have their candidacy canceled and will not be able to continue their campaign," KIP candidacy working group chairman Yarwin Adi Dharma told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

"The proficiency test is a requirement each candidate has to undergo to run in the 2009 election." The Aceh KIP and its regional committees in 23 municipalities and regencies throughout Aceh will hold the Koran proficiency test for regional legislative candidates from Monday through Friday. About 10,000 participants from 34 national and six local parties in Aceh will take the test.

The provincial committee will test 1,368 candidates for the provincial legislative council in its office, while tests for candidates for regional councils will be held in the respective municipalities and regencies.

There are three categories in the test, and each candidate must get at least 50 points to pass. Candidate will be required to read verses from the Koran for five minutes. "The standard is not that high. I believe all people claiming to be Muslim can pass the test," Yarwin said.

"We also have a different standard for candidates who converted to Islam less than one year ago. They only have to read and recognize Arabic characters even though they may not be able to read the Koran fluently."

Yarwin said non-Muslim candidates were not required to take the test. There is only one non-Muslim candidate, who is representing the Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), from Southeast Aceh.

Home Minister Mardiyanto has revoked Article 36 of Provincial Bylaw No. 36/2008, which requires all candidates from both local and national parties to pass the proficiency test. The minister argued that national parties already had their own criteria for selecting candidates, according to the 2008 general elections law.

However, Yasin said the KIP would still test candidates from national parties, citing "Aceh's uniqueness in that it already applies sharia". "This what differentiates Aceh from other provinces," he said.

Most national parties accept the Koran proficiency requirement as a specific rule for candidates residing in Aceh.

Zainal Sabri, chairman of the Aceh chapter of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), said his party was reluctant to criticize the requirement. "As a new party, we are taking a safe position because we do not want to be branded as not having Islamic values," he told the Post.

Each candidate will be tested in the order of the parties' number sequence. This means candidates from the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), which is numbered 1, will take the tests first.