News

Blitar, East Java. As Indonesia gears up for twin elections this year, the pivotal figure is a woman in her late sixties who has been trounced all three times that she has contested for president.

Megawati Sukarnoputri dominates the opposition party that opinion polls show is likely to top the April 9 parliamentary election. She also has, if she chooses, the candidate whom polls show would sweep aside all other contenders in the presidential election three months later.

For the first time, the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs and laws is using an independent team of experts to help screen Constitutional Court (MK) justice candidates, exposing, in the process, the hopefuls’ lack of even basic legal knowledge.

Unlike previous “fit-and-proper” tests for judges and other state officials at Commission III, where lawmakers usually throw softball questions to candidates, the eight invited experts have been asking decidedly more difficult questions.

Jakarta. Aburizal Bakrie is busy shuttling around Indonesia to consolidate his powerful Golkar Party base ahead of the upcoming legislative elections, garnering support for his bid for the presidency.

With his background as a businessman and in government as coordinating minister for the economy, it is hardly surprising that economics is high on Aburizal’s agenda as the elections loom closer.

The Gerindra Party reported an additional Rp 122 billion (US$10.5 million) in campaign funds to the General Elections Commission (KPU), on Sunday. In its first report, Gerindra said it had Rp 184 billion.

“So, the Gerindra campaign fund totals Rp 306 billion in two reports filed with the KPU. The campaign funds are 100 percent from the party’s current legislative candidates,” Gerindra Party treasurer Thomas Djiwandono said as quoted by tribunnews.com.

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The President of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Anis Matta, said that the three presidential candidates of the party which were elected through the party's presidential convention known as Pemilu Raya, are currently familiarizing their vision, mission and ideas to a number of regions.

General election bodies and media monitoring agencies have agreed to ban political parties from running political ads through electronic and print media in the run up to the legislative election’s campaign period, which is scheduled to kick off on March 16.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) warned political parties contesting the 2014 legislative election against accepting gratuities ahead of ballot day.

KPK spokesman Johan Budi said that the antigraft body had written to the leaders of 15 political parties, including three local parties in Aceh, warning them that their members could be prosecuted for accepting gratuities.

Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo’s immense popularity makes him the most promising candidate to win the presidential election, regardless of who is chosen as his running mate, an analyst said on Monday.

Gun Gun Heryanto, a political analyst from Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN), said with his current level of likability, Joko would be able to win against any opponents, including former general and coordinating minister for economic affairs, Prabowo Subianto; Golkar party chairman Aburizal Bakrie; and former army chief, Pramono Edhie Wibowo.

A survey conducted by the Political Communication Institute (Polcomm Institute) shows that Islamic-based parties could exceed the presidential threshold of 20 percent and nominate their own presidential and vice presidential candidates if they form a coalition in the upcoming election.

Polcomm Institute director Heri Budianto said in Jakarta on Sunday that of the total five political parties contesting the 2014 election, the National Mandate Party (PAN) had the highest electability level, which reached 9.7 percent.