Noticias

The University of Indonesia's Institute for Economic and Social Research (LPEM-UI) has estimated that the amount of money likely to circulate during this year, as a result of election fever, will reach Rp 115.3 trillion (US$10.15 billion).

It says most of the money will come from legislative election candidates, accounting for Rp 71.22 trillion or 62 percent of the total amount, while the government will spend Rp 25.12 trillion or 22 percent on the election.

A candidate vying for a seat in West Lampung Legislative Council (DPRD) has been sentenced to six months in prison for vote buying during campaigning, according to Election Supervisory Committee (Bawaslu) Lampung head Nazaruddin.

Nazaruddin said on Wednesday the candidate, endorsed by the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), was identified as ET. He added that the case was one of 150 campaign violations found by the committee.

Jakarta. The Elections Supervisory Body, or Bawaslu, says it will question Anis Matta, the president of the Prosperous Justice Party, or PKS, over the alleged involvement of minors in a campaign rally.

“Based on evidence we have from our investigation, Anis Matta has deliberately involved underage individuals in the party’s campaign rally, therefore we plan to summon him and he will be sanctioned according to the law,” Muhammad, the Bawaslu chief, said on Tuesday.

A white helicopter carrying Golkar chairman and presidential candidate Aburizal Bakrie and his entourage landed on a soccer field in the Ciracas Sports Complex in East Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon.

The helicopter took him from Bogor, West Java, where Aburizal started his campaign on the third day of the national campaign period.

He arrived one-and-a-half hours later than his scheduled arrival time of 1 p.m, while thousands of Golkar supporters had flocked to the complex since 11 a.m.

Makassar. In this is a scrappy, traffic-choked port city in South Sulawesi, everybody knows your name. If, that is, your name is Limpo.

The family of Syahrul Yasin Limpo, the second-term governor of this resource-rich Indonesian province, has dominated local politics for three generations, and a fourth waits in the wings.

Eight of Limpo’s close relatives will run in the country’s parliamentary elections on April 9: two sisters, one brother, two brothers-in-law, two nephews and a daughter.

Jakarta. Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party chairman Prabowo Subianto has floated Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chief Abraham Samad as a preferred running mate for the July 9 presidential election, party officials said.

Jakarta. Dahlan Iskan, the most popular contender in the Democratic Party convention, has officially joined the party.

The state-owned enterprise minister announced his decision to officially join the Democratic Party in front of his supporters in Magelang, Central Java on Sunday.

Dahlan said he finally made up his mind about joining the party after witnessing the efforts made by his supporters, which have made him the strongest contender for the convention according to various survey.

“The difference with another contender is quite sharp,” he told Tempo newspaper.

Golkar Party chairman Aburizal Bakrie, who is also the party’s presidential candidate, has said he is not worried about the high electability rating of Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle’s (PDI-P) presidential candidate, by several surveys.

“Pak Jokowi is my good friend and my younger brother. I know him well. Everything is normal during such a contest,” Aburizal told journalists on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He was speaking before attending an open campaign at Kuncup square in Pringsewu, Lampung.

The National Mandate Party (PAN) says it has filed a lawsuit against the General Elections Commission (KPU) for disqualifying the party from the legislative election in Pelalawan regency, Riau.

“PAN has filed the lawsuit,” said party chairman Hatta Rajasa after campaigning in Batam, Riau Islands, on Monday, as quoted by Antara news agency.