Gatot Abdullah Mansyur, Indonesian Consul General, this week inaugurated the election committee for the participation of the Indonesian community in legislative elections scheduled for April 9. To gear up Indonesian voters in Jeddah, the Consul General also requested that Saudi sponsors allow their Indonesian employees to cast their ballots. Western Region Election Committee of Saudi Arabia has registered 76,176 Indonesians this year. About 12,000 candidates from 38 political parties are vying for 560 seats. The presidential election, meanwhile, will be held on July 8 and the newly elected president will be installed in October. Zem Khallis Bustami, head of the election committee said that all Indonesians who have renewed their passports, or reported their arrival in the Kingdom to the Indonesian Consulate from 2004 till the end of August 2008 can cast their ballots because they are automatically registered in the election. “All election logistics have been put in place; the election committee has formed four teams to provide four voting stations in Jeddah at the Indonesian Consulate, the Consul General's residence, the Jeddah Indonesian School and election committee's office,” he said. A series of surveys have shown President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's Democratic Party retains the top slot. The most recent survey held between Feb. 28 to March 13 organized by the Reform Institute involving 2,519 respondents placed Yudhoyono's party on top with 25.05 percent, ahead of PDI-P with 15.01 and Golkar with 14.49 percent. Election contenders, including PDI-P, Golkar and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), have questioned the credibility of surveys. Some politicians have suggested polls were intended to legitimize the Democratic Party's unprecedented win.
