Noticias

Although the July 9 presidential election features just two competing candidates, the General Elections Commission (KPU) is anticipating the possibility of a second round of voting as required by the current Presidential Election Law.

The KPU said on Thursday that in order to be declared the winner in the presidential election, a candidate must receive at least 50 percent-plus-one of the votes, while also garnering a minimum of 20 percent of the votes in more than 17 provinces.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said that essential election materials have been delivered to more than 300 districts across the country and by the end of Friday all materials will be delivered to all districts of Afghanistan, at a press conference in Kabul on Thursday.

Jakarta. The campaign season for Indonesia’s presidential election enters a new phase this week with the media and observers alike speculating on who may occupy key cabinet posts, whichever candidate wins the race.

The strikingly different campaign teams behind the two tickets vying for the presidency offer a glimpse of which supporting members are most likely to become cabinet officials for the 2014-2019 period, in line with previous elections that saw the winners recruit most of their ministers from the very teams responsible for their victory.

Jakarta. Indonesia’s two presidential candidates are outdoing each other with hardline policies to rein in foreign firms and control the resources sector, risking a lurch towards nationalism in Southeast Asia’s top economy, analysts say.

Frontrunner Joko Widodo and ex-general Prabowo Subianto have said they will favor domestic companies in the lucrative oil and gas industry and have pledged to stick with a controversial mineral ore export ban ahead of the July 9 polls.

The Ministry of Defense (MoD) Spokesperson Gen. Zahir Azimi said that the Afghan National Army (ANA) are ready and equipped to defy any threats on the nation on Election Day at news conference in Kabul on Monday.

Gen. Zahir said that ANA soldiers understand the shortcomings of the first round, adding that they have been trained and prepared to be more alert for the runoff election.

June 14 runoff will hold in peaceful and safe situation, Azimi said.

Jakarta. Presidential and vice presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Jusuf Kalla have managed to raise as of Tuesday for their campaign up to Rp 35 billion ($3 million) from the public through bank accounts that they opened last month.

“The numbers have increased by Rp 3 billion since yesterday,” Zuhairi Misrawi, a member of Joko and Kalla’s campaign team, said on Wednesday.