REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Commissioner of the General Election Commission (KPU) Juri Ardiantoro has been appointed as the commission's new chairman to succeed the deceased Husni Kamil Manik.
Ardiantoro was elected through a consensus during a closed-door plenary meeting at the KPU office here, Monday evening.
Ardiantoro, chairman of the Jakarta KPU for the 2008-2013 period and a graduate of the Malaya University in Malaysia, will chair the national KPU for eight months.
The plenary meeting was attended by five commissioners of the KPU --- Sigit Pamungkas, Ida Budhiati, Arief Budiman, Ferry Kurnia Rizkyansyah, and Juri Ardiantoro --- among others.
Manik died at the Pertamina Central Hospital in South Jakarta on July 7 while he was undergoing treatment for an infection that had spread across his body, affecting some of his organs.
KPU Commissioner Hadar Nafis Gumay informed Antara here on Thursday evening that Husni had, so far, showed no signs of suffering from any other illnesses or deteriorating health.
"My friends and I had never noticed him looking ill. What we knew is that he was undergoing massage therapy. An infection spread through his body. I do not know all the facts yet, as I have not met his family," Gumay stated.
Manik was admitted to RSP Pertamina on Thursday morning and was pronounced dead by the doctors at 9:10 p.m. local time. He is survived by his wife and three children.
On July 12, the KPU named one of its commissioners, Hadar Nafis Gumay, as the acting chairman following the demise of Manik.
"The decision to elect (Gumay) has been agreed upon unanimously by all KPU commissioners," KPU Commissioner Pamungkas noted.
Following the successful implementation of Indonesia's first simultaneous and direct regional head elections (Pilkada) last year, the nation is hoping to hold a smooth and peaceful second Pilkada scheduled on February 15, 2017.
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