Golkar Party Faction Supports Direct Regional Elections

Jakarta (Antara) - The Golkar Party faction in the House of Representatives (DPR) has decided to support the passage of Perppu 1, 2014, for the direct elections of provincial governors, district heads, and city mayors. "We will ask all Golkar Party faction members in the DPR to take a common stance to accept Perppu Pilkada," faction chairman Ade Komaruddin said here on Wednesday during the publication of LSI survey results. The LSI survey shows 84 percent of the country's population prefers direct elections, and it was not extraordinary, Ade noted. Even without a survey, he added, it could be concluded that the majority of the Indonesian people preferred direct elections. The Aburizal Bakrie faction of the Golkar Party had declared at the Bali congress that it will oppose the passage of the government regulation in lieu of law (Perppu) on regional elections, but later changed stance. Ade observed that both direct and indirect elections are constitutional. "The constitution stipulates that elections must be conducted democratically and it can be direct or indirect," he added. (*)