The figure contributed to the high number of absentees."
Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - A researcher from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Prof Ikrar Nusa Bhakti, said voter turnout would be higher if Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo (Jokowi) runs for president in 2014.

"If Jokowi runs, it is sure that the number of absentee voters would be low," he said during a discussion entitled "2014 General Elections and Consolidation of Democracy in Indonesia" here on Friday.

The high number of absentee voters in several regional elections have occurred because of the public assumption that those candidates on the ballot would not be able to significantly improve the public`s standard of living.

"The presence of a new figure like Jokowi, however, will give hope to the people of Indonesia and so the number of absentee voters would be low," he said.

Before Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, emerged, Prabowo Subianto had been one of the presidential candidates expected to run in the 2014 election, Ikrar said.

The situation, however, changed after Jokowi was elected governor of Jakarta, he noted.

Jokowi is now expected to run for president in 2014 and the belief that he could win has surpassed that of other candidates, according to various surveys, Ikrar said.

"The assumption that a soldier will again lead Indonesia has been discarded due to Jokowi`s emergence," he added.

Ikrar said Jokowi`s candidacy from the opposition Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) would certainly affect the number of absentee ballots in 2014.

According to data from the General Elections Commission (KPU), in the 1999 general elections voter participation reached 93.33 percent, though in 2004 it dropped to 84.9 percent, and further declined to 70.99 percent in 2009.

Further, the Lingkaran Survey Indonesia (LSI) predicts participation in 2014 might only reach some 60 percent of voters.

Meanwhile, Syamsudin Haris, another researcher from LIPI, said that voter data would be one of the problems hindering conclusions about the number of absentee ballots.

Citing an example, he said, there was a 300,000 difference between the number of voters available during recent regional elections in North Sumatra and that estimated by the KPU.

"The figure contributed to the high number of absentees," he said.

Syamsudin added that the number of eligible voters for the 2014 general elections must be clarified to prevent their misuse by various parties.

(Reporting by Helti Marini Sipayung/Uu.H-YH/INE/KR-BSR/S012)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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