... at least 22 female candidates won according to quick count reports."Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Lawmaker and former top model Okky Asokawati of the United Development Party (PPP) lauded the victory of 22 women candidates in the simultaneous regional head elections (pilkada) held in 264 regions on December 9, 2015.
"Female regional heads are the symbols of women in politics," Asokawati stated here on Thursday while commenting on the unofficial preliminary results of the local elections.
"Although we are still awaiting the official results to be announced by the General Elections Commission (KPU), at least 22 female candidates won according to quick count reports," the legislator affirmed.
She congratulated the winners and expressed hope that the women regional heads would help to make politics in Indonesia more humane rather than antagonistic.
Asokawati hoped that the women would formulate pro-people development programs that could improve the welfare of the public, in general, and women and children, in particular.
"Issues related to the health of women, children, and senior citizens must become a priority in the regional development programs," she stated.
Women-led regions must be declared as corruption-free zones, she added.
Millions of eligible voters visited polling stations to cast their ballot in Indonesias first-ever simultaneous pilkada held in 264 regions in 32 of the countrys 34 provinces on December 9, 2015.
Initially, the pilkada was planned to be organized in 269 regions, or 53 percent of the countrys total regions, but the KPU announced on December 8 that elections in the five regions would be postponed.
The five regions are Central Kalimantan Province, Fakfak District in Papua, Pematang Siantar municipality in North Sumatra, Simalungun District in North Sumatra, and Manado city in North Sulawesi, according to KPU Commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay.
Of the total participating regions, three had only a single candidate each: Blitar in East Java, Tasikmalaya in West Java, and North Timor Tengah in East Nusa Tenggara. In such cases, a feedback was sought from the voters whether the sole candidate pair was acceptable to them.
More than 800 pairs of regional head candidates contested for the posts of eight governors and vice governors, 222 district heads and their deputies, and 34 mayors and their deputies.
According to data recently provided by the KPU, some 100,461,890 Indonesians comprising 50,297,463 men and 50,164,427 women were eligible as voters in the 2015 pilkada.
(Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2015
