JakartaPost-Oct 4, 2023
The General Elections Commission (KPU) has called on political parties to withdraw ineligible ex-corruption convicts from its provisional list of candidates for next year’s legislative elections following a Supreme Court ruling that effectively makes a five-year waiting period mandatory for all former graft convicts. “The KPU has sent a letter to all political parties participating in the elections urging them to follow the ruling,” KPU commissioner Idham Kholik told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday. The court ruling was issued last week when the KPU was still assessing the eligibility of all registered legislative candidates vying for seats in the national and local legislatures next year. The KPU will announce the results early next month. At least one political party has already removed its candidates who were no longer eligible to stand following the ruling from the KPU’s provisional list, Idham said. The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said on Monday that it would pull one candidate from the race, while the Gerindra Party said last month that it had already canceled the candidacies of two politicians who were former corruption convicts, Tempo.co reported. A report released by the ICW in August found that at least 39 former graft convicts were on the KPU’s provisional list of nominees. It remains unclear, however, whether names in the ICW report are eligible to run. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2023/10/04/kpu-urges-political-parties-to-withdraw-ex-graft-convicts-from-legislative-elections.html.
