Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – Independent candidates looking to join the West Java gubernatorial election race are required to gather written support from at least 1.3 million eligible voters.
West Java General Elections Commission (KPUD) head Ferry Kurnia Rizkainsyah said that based on the regulation, independents must obtain a minimum 3 percent support from a total of around 43 million people. The poll will be held next year.
The regulation also requires that support come from the residents from half the number of regencies and mayoralties. The province is made up of 26 regencies and mayoralties.
"It may seem difficult, but we will make sure that the KPUD carry out preparations for the administrative and factual verification of candidates who apply through the independent channel," Ferry told The Jakarta Post in Bandung on Tuesday.
Ferry said that although difficult, the door for independents must be left open for the sake of democracy and to uphold the law, despite the fact that some circles were pessimistic about independent candidates passing verification, given the huge support they required.
He acknowledged that he had received a notification letter from an independent candidate pair who would run in the election.
The gubernatorial election funds for the KPUD have yet to be disbursed prior to a gubernatorial decree on the proposed budget. The number of eligible voters is estimated to reach 33.5 million people, with a cost of more than Rp 700 billion (US$82 million). However, the provincial administration has only approved Rp 665 billion, derived from the 2012 provincial budget.
Democracy Information Study Forum (LSID) head Dedi Barnadi said that the huge level of support required by candidates would restrict independent hopefuls.
"It's very difficult to collect 1.3 million copies of identity cards. In Jakarta alone, a candidate pair carry around 500,000 ID copies on two trucks. How many truck loads of ID cards must the KPUD verify?" asked Dedi.
He said that based on a survey conducted by his group and the West Java Survey Institute (LSJ) in January 2012, incumbent Governor Ahmad Heryawan and Vice Governor Yusuf Macan Effendi would face stiff competition from other candidates. The survey, conducted from Jan. 18 to 23, involved 410 respondents above the age of 17 from 26 regencies and mayoralties, and showed the five most popular candidates.