Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Some 30 foreign election commissions will monitor the implementation of the upcoming simultaneous regional head elections in Indonesia, according to Chairman of the Indonesian General Elections Commission (KPU) Husni Kamil.

"On the day of the simultaneous regional head elections on December 9, 2015, there will be an international activity as 30 foreign election commissions will monitor the implementation of the elections," Kamil informed the press after reporting to President Joko Widodo at the State Palace, here, Tuesday.

The press conference was also attended by Chairman of the Honorary Council of Election Executors (DKPP) Jimly Asshiddiqie, KPU commissioners Sigit Pamungkas and Ferry Kurnia Rizkiyansyah, and two members of the General Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) Nelson Simanjuntak and Daniel Zukhron.

Foreign representative offices and relevant national institutions will also be involved in monitoring the elections, he noted.

"There will be an election visit program. We suggest the president to officially inaugurate it on December 8. It will be followed by a workshop on the progress of democracy and sharing of experiences with other countries," he remarked.

On December 9, the foreign observers will be taken to nearby polling stations in Depok and South Tangerang, and the visit will be followed by discussions on the voting process and vote counting.

The KPU, DKPP, Bawaslu, and relevant ministries have coordinated and made preparations for the implementation of the elections.

He, however, admitted that some problems still existed, such as issues concerning the election budget and problematic candidates.

Some 269 regions, comprising nine provinces and 260 districts/cities, or 53 percent of the countrys existing regions, will hold the first ever simultaneous regional head elections on December 9, 2015.

Of the total participating regions, three have only a single candidate each: Blitar in East Java, Tasikmalaya in West Java, and North Timor Tengah in East Nusa Tenggara.

The government has allocated Rp7.1 trillion for the implementation of the simultaneous regional head elections.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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