SP/Anastasia Winanti Riesardhy – The national polling body has confirmed that the nine parties at the House of Representatives and one new party will be the only ones contesting the 2014 elections, in line with analysts' predictions ahead of Monday's announcement.

At a meeting marred by frequent and lengthy interruptions by representatives from several parties, the General Elections Commission (KPU) presented reports from its provincial offices, or KPUDs, showing that only 10 of 34 parties had passed the final phase of the verification process in all 33 provinces nationwide.

Although the meeting that began at noon was still underway as of 11:30 p.m. and an official announcement of the parties making the grade had not yet been made, the reading out of the KPUD reports was sufficient to confirm that only 10 parties would be moving through.

They include a new party, the National Democratic Party (NasDem), as well as the three biggest parties in the country: the ruling Democratic Party, the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

There are also four Islamic-based parties in the mix: the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the National Mandate Party (PAN), the United Development Party (PPP) and the National Awakening Party (PKB). The final two parties are the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and the People's Conscience Party (Hanura).

To be allowed to stand candidates in the legislative election next year, a party must have at least 1,000 registered members in each district and municipality of every province nationwide.

Not meeting this condition in even a single province will nullify the party's bid to contest the election. Another requirement, but one on which parties are given considerable leeway depending on circumstances, is for 30 percent female representation.

Representatives of the 24 parties that fell short quickly vowed to mount a legal challenge with the State Administrative Court against the KPU's decision, while hundreds of their supporters rallied outside the KPU office in Central Jakarta.

KPU commissioner Hadar Gumay said his office was ready to face any legal challenge. "We're prepared because we have all the data to back our decision," he said.

Should the KPU's decision survive the challenge, the number of parties contesting the 2014 legislative election will be the smallest since the end of the Suharto regime in 1998. The legislative elections in 1999, 2004 and 2009 were contested by 48, 24 and 34 parties respectively.

Hanta Yudha, executive director of the Pol-Tracking Institute, said that with only 10 parties competing next year, the cost of holding the election would be significantly reduced from previous years.

The KPU has requested Rp 16.2 trillion ($1.68 billion) to finance the total cost of the election. The government has allocated Rp 8.1 trillion from the 2013 budget and will hand out the rest in the 2014 budget.

For the 2009 polls, the KPU requested Rp 47.9 trillion, up sharply from the Rp 4.4 trillion that it sought in 2004.