(5/30/2009)
The Indonesian presidential and vice-presidential campaign will take place between June 2 and July 4, 2009, featuring both mass rallies and extensive battles for votes waged in the mass media.
The Commission for the General Elections (KPU) will allow the campaign in the mass media to commence on June 2, while the KPU is still considering when rallies and mass meetings will be permitted. Sources at the KPU, however, believe the rallies and mass meeting phase of the campaign will be allowed to get underway from June 13, 2009.
A member of the KPU, Andi Nurpati Baharuddin, told the press "the start of the public gathering phase of the campaign lasting three weeks will soon be announced, but, God willing, it will not shift from what we have announced previously (June 13)."
This schedule is at some variance with that set forth in the presidential election rule number 32 of 2009. Those rules stipulated that the campaign would only be allowed from June 12 until July 4, 2009.
A KPU spokesman said the change in the rules was permitted by the quicker-than-expected completion of the verification process for presidential and vice presidential candidates.
The Line Up of Candidates
Competing to lead Indonesia for a five-year term are:
- The Indonesian Democratic Party with incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and former Bank Indonesia President Boediono for the vice president's slot.
- The Golkar Party who will field the current Vice-President Jusuf Kalla for the nation's top post with former army general Wiranto for the number two job.
- The People's Democratic Party of Struggle will run former president Megawati Soekarnoputri in a bid to regain that job, with Probowo Subianto, a retired lt. general, seeking the vice-presidential post.
Indonesians will go to the polls to elect their next president on July 8, 2009.
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