The Constitutional Court and the Central Election Commission agreed to keep and to guard the election process as a democratic party so that it could go on direct, free, secret, honest and fair according to the stipulation in Article 22E of the 1945 Constitution, and go as planned. That was delivered by the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, Moh. Mahfud MD, in a press conference after a Coordination Meeting between the Constitutional Court and the Election Commission in the Court s Building, Wednesday (31/12).

The Commission and the Court, continued Mahfud, would work in the position and proportion of each party s duties. The Commission would guard the schedule of the election, announcement, and the time span for submitting a file to the Constitutional Court. Meanwhile the Court would guard the fulfillment of time limit in solving cases. “The Court has prepared the procedural law so that it will be according to the schedule,” said Mahfud.

For the success of the election, both the Court and the Commission would establish a team to arrange the tight schedule from day to day. The Court would be represented by the Vice Chief Justice, Abdul Mukthie Fadjar and Constitutional Justice Maria Farida Indrati, meanwhile the Commission would be represented by members of the Commission, I Gusti Putu Artha and Andi Nurpati Baharuddin. This team would arrange the schedule in a short period of time as the law required and the technical needs for the Court and the Commission. “It will be facilitated by each the Secratary General of each institution,” continued Mahfud.

Regarding the decision of the Court in the case No. 22&24/PUU-VI/2008 about the majority votes for legislative candidates, Mahfud emphasized that the decision is the strong legal shelter for the Commission to set up rules concerning technical matters, because the Court was not authorized to regulate more than deciding over and annulling an act.

Responding to the Court s decision, Head of the Election Commission, Abdul Hafiz Anshary, said that his institution would set up Election Commission rules without having to go through a presidential decree in replacement of an act (perppu). Related to the time schedule of the election, the first round voting for presidential election was scheduled on July 28, 2009; meanwhile the second round would be on September 3, 2009. “But this is not final, we haven t decided yet. For sure these two institutions will meet again to arrange the schedule,” he stated.

He told that the Commission agreed on the inauguration date for members of the House of Representatives, which would be on October 1, 2009; while President and Vice President inauguration would be on October 20, 2009. “It is fixed, it is just the internal arrangement in the Commission,” he ended his speech. (Wiwik Budi Wasito)

Photo: Doc. MK PR/Wiwik BW

Translated by Yogi Djatnika / MK