Pekanbaru – Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi says 23 governors and 11 deputy governors have asked for a leave of absence in order to campaign for their respective parties ahead of the upcoming legislative election.

"During the 2014 election campaign period provided by the General Elections Commission (KPU), starting from Sunday, any governor that wants to become a campaigner will be given a leave of absence for two days only [but] must obtain a permit from the home minister," Gamawan told journalists in Pekanbaru on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said the two-day absences would be provided for weekdays, while anyone wanting to carry out campaign activities on weekends or holidays would only be required to submit a report. Any governor that violates the regulations will face sanctions from the Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu).

"The figures will likely increase as is still quite a long campaign period. Regents and mayors can be given a permit for a leave of absence from governors," said Gamawan.

Head of the Riau administration's governance bureau, Muhammad Guntur, said four regents had so far obtained campaign permits from Riau Governor Annas Maamun. They are Siak Regent Syamsuar, Kuantan Singingi Regent Sukarmis, Kampar Regent Jefri Noer and Rokan Hulu Regent Achmad. (idb/ebf)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/03/17/23-governors-request-leave-absence-campaign.html