REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SEMARANG -- People participated enthusiastically in the country's 2015 simultaneous regional head elections with the number of voters exercising their right having registered a significant increase.
This was stated here by Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo.
"Reports received indicate that the participation of the people in the regional head elections has been very encouraging. In Semarang, for example, more than 70 percent had cast their vote," Minister Tjahjo said as he inspected the implementation of the regional head elections (Pilkada) here on Wednesday.
However, he also predicted that while people's participation was increasing, malpractices such as instances of money being offered to the voters in lieu of their votes were also likely to increase.
Based on reports, instances of such money politics were reported from three Pilkada places in Semarang, he said. "In Semarang, Central Java, voters participated in high numbers, but then, instances of such bribery were also rampant," the home affairs minister stated.
He said the truth about such electoral fraud would be evaluated and it will also be studied if such practices have become more rampant, compared to previous years. The findings should also become a reference for issuance of new laws in the future.
Read: KPU yet to ensure implementation of elections in five regions
Three pairs of candidates are contesting Semarang Pilkada: Soemarmo-Zuber Safawi, Hendrar Prihadi-Hevearita Gunaryanti Rahayu and Sigit Ibnugroho Sarasprono-Agus Sutyoso.
On Wednesday morning, eligible voters began visiting the polling stations to cast their ballots in Indonesia's first-ever simultaneous regional head elections (pilkada), being held in 264 regions.
Initially, the pilkada were to be organized in 269 regions, but the General Election Commission (KPU) announced on Tuesday evening that regional head elections in five regions were postponed.
These five regions were Central Kalimantan Province, Fakfak District (Papua), Pematang Siantar municipality (North Sumatra), Simalungun District (North Sumatra) and Manado city (North Sulawesi), according to KPU Commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay.
More than 800 pairs of regional head candidates are running for posts of eight governors and vice governors, 222 district heads and their deputies, and 34 mayors and their deputies.
According to the recent KPU data, some 100,461,890 Indonesians -- 50,297,463 men and 50,164,427 women -- are eligible to vote in the 2015 pilkada.
Besides, 268,652 people, including 135,523 men and 133,129 women, figure in the Additional Final Voters List (DPTb-1).
"There will be 2,031,465 first-time voters with 1,020,511 of them men and 1,010,954 women. A total of 128,391 voters are those with disabilities, " according to KPU Chairman Husni Kamil.
According to Indonesian Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti, more than 140 thousand police officers have been deployed to secure the regional head elections on December 9.
The police personnel include those of the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) units and provincial police.
To help the police in providing security for the pilkada being held in more than 50 percent of Indonesia's regions, the Indonesia military (TNI) is set to deploy 35,079 soldiers.
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