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**JAKARTA, July 22 (APD) – **Indonesian president Joko Widodo seized unanimous eligibility to advance in 2019 presidential election after the parliament recently passed the bill that requires 20 percent threshold for presidential candidates to run in 2019 race based on the votes they seized in 2014 election.
Assurance for the incumbent president’s fitness to extend his executive service in the country came up from pledges of 3 significant political parties to support President Widodo’s candidacy in the race.
Those 3 parties comprised of Golkar party, National Democratic (Nasdem) Party and United Development Party (PPP), apparently capable to obtain significant votes in 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections with total votes of 28 percent.
The ruling party in which President Widodo joined in, Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has yet to give its clear stance over President Widodo’s re-election. The party obtained largest parliamentary votes of over 18 percent in 2014.
“The 20 percent threshold has been proved of making the election conducted well in the past. We want elections in the future to be simpler,” the president said to comment on the threshold rate recently.
Enactment of the bill on Friday was following process of discussions in the parliament on government’s proposal to keep the threshold set between 20 to 25 percent and demands of opposition party coalition that demanded zero percent.
Process to pass the bill was apparently tough as it was marred with tough voting process among ten factions in the parliament conducted since Thursday.
Members of four opposition parties did a ‘walk out’ move from the assembly room to express their disappointment over the passing of the bill.
With the bill enactment, the incumbent President Widodo would likely face his arch rival in 2014 presidential election, former army general Prabowo Subianto, who is also fit for the race as he obtained sufficient rate from his supporter parties.
Joko Widodo seized the presidency after obtained 53 percent votes in the 2014 presidential election, allowing him to lead the country until 2019.
A political expert from a Central Java province’s state college, Diponegoro University, said that the 20 percent presidential threshold would simplify people to elect candidate they considered capable to run the country in the next 5 years after 2019.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
