"KIP must adjust the sequence of its election process according to state regulations. The election itself must be conducted before April 9," Constitutional Court Chairman M. Mahfud MD said here on Friday.
The first-ever simultaneous regional elections in the province were originally scheduled to take place on February 16, 2012 and will consist of a poll for governor/deputy governor and elections for 17 district chiefs and mayors out of 23 districts/towns in Indonesia`s western-most province.
However, tension soon happened in the province with the election date approaching. The shooting incidents that left around six people dead and several others injured in Aceh were said to be the effect of regional election problems in the province.
Aceh political observer Teuku Kemal Fasya recently said a conflict arose after the Constitutional Court (MK) issued a ruling to allow independent candidates to run in the elections.
The ruling prompted current governor Irwandi Yusuf to run for re-election as an independent candidate after the Aceh Party failed to niminate him.
The Aceh Party which was established by former members of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and now controls the regional legislative assembly, canceled its registration as a participant due to the ruling.
To accommodate those who had been left out or had not registered themselves or their candidates for the next elections, the home affairs ministry on January 13, 2012, requested the MK to issue a preliminary ruling ordering the Aceh Independent Election Commission (KIP) to postpone the preparatory stages for regional head elections until its request had been decided on.
The ministry`s Regional Autonomy Director General Djoehermansyah said during a hearing on the ministry`s request at the MK building last week that the ministry asked the reopening of the registration process for candidates of governor-deputy governor, district head-deputy district head, and mayor-deputy mayor to give a chance to candidates from political parties and independent candidates for seven days since the issuance of the MK`s preliminary ruling.
According to Djoeher, the request was made because the government (the ministry) needed to see the process of the Aceh regional head elections run smoothly and peacefully.
If the local elections were held without the participation of the Aceh Party, security disturbances might occur, he said.
He said the current regional head elections in Aceh have not yet been participated in by the Aceh Party, Golkar and other national parties.
If those having real power in the local parliament could not join the regional head elections, the Aceh regional administration would not run effectively and conflicts among the governor, the district heads, mayors and member of local legislators might occur, the home ministry`s official said.
Finally, on Tuesday (Jan 17, 2012), the MK issued a preliminary ruling ordering the reopening of candidates registration for Aceh`s simultaneous regional chief elections for a period of seven days.
"The reopening of the registration process, including the verification and official announcement stages, is meant to give a chance to new candidates to register. They may be proposed by a political party or a coalition of political parties, or run as independent candidates. The reopening shall last seven days since this preliminary ruling is announced," MK Chairman Mahfud MD said at the Tuesday hearing.
(T.A051/HAJM/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2012
