Man: Forward march!

T-shirt reads ‘Political Parties Yes’, carpet reads ‘Integrity’

Youth: Do you still want to vote for representatives like that? (T-shirt reads ‘Go KPU’)

Much to the consternation of the political parties – many of which have fielded former corruption convicts or candidates under investigation for graft – the General Elections Commission (KPU) Saturday issued a regulation which, among other things, bans former graft convicts from running in next year’s legislative elections.

The regulation, which pertains to the nomination of House and Regional Council member candidates, was published on KPU’s website on Saturday night together with a short note that said the regulations would be used as “guidelines for KPU in carrying out the nomination stages [...] in the 2019 legislative elections”.

Despite widespread public support for the move, the KPU has faced stiff opposition from the Elections Supervisory Agency, the House of Representatives – which accused the commission of violating the 2017 law on general elections – and even the Ministry of Law and Human Rights since it began drafting the regulation in December last year.