PRESIDENT LAUNCHES MOVEMENT TO FAMILIARIZE PUBLIC WITH 2009 ELECTIONS

Jakarta, June 6 (ANTRA) - Indonesian President Susilo bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace here Friday launched a national movement aimed at giving the public foreknowledge about the 2009 general elections. The launching was conducted in an event attended by members of the national Commission of General Elections (KPU), Regional KPUs, and the General Elections Supervisory Body. A number of cabinet ministers were also present on the occasion. They included Law and Human Rights Minister Andi Matalatta, Home Affairs Minister Mardiyanto, and Minister/State Secretary Hatta Radjasa. A logo of the 2009 Polls was introduced and KPU also explained about the preparations for the upcoming electoral processes. According KPU, 16 existing parties can automatically take part in next year's elections while 35 parties had to pass the KPU's factual verification tests up to regional level. The national commission had set June 25 as the deadline for regional KPUs to conduct factual verification tests on the 35 parties up to district/city level. KPU planned to announce the final resultd of factual verification tests on July 3, 2008, and name the political parties that had passed the tests. National KPU Chairman Hafiz Anshari recently announced that 51 political parties had passed verification tests at national level to join next year's general election, Sixteen of the 51 parties currently had seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) and had registered at the KPU to take part in the 2009 polls. The 16 parties were the Golkar Party, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), United Development Party (PPP), Democrat Party, National Mandate Party (PAN), National Awakening Party (PKB), Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Star Reform Party (PBR), Prosperous Peace Party (PDS), Crescent Star Party (PBB), National Democratic United Party, Pioneers' Party, National Concern Workers' Party, Marhaenism Indonesian National Party, Justice and United Indonesian Party, and Indonesian Democracy Upholders Party. Besides the 16 parties, 35 other parties had also passed administrative verification tests to join the 2009 general election. In the announcement, KPU said 11 political parties had failed the administrative verification tests while two other parties were not processed because of their failure to register at KPU.