Mimika gets ready for tsunami survivors

By Markus Makur
Source : The Jakarata Post

Mimika regency in Papua will hold its first direct election on March 26 next year.

The Mimika Election Commission has established election guidelines and have familiarized all political parties with the process.

The commission has also decided that the minimum requirement for each candidate is 15 percent representation by their party in the local legislative council.

""As the head of the Mimika Election Commission, I am ready to run the regency election in Mimika. The commission has already told all parties about the regulations,"" commission head Yosephina Ana Balla told journalists last week.

""I hope the election will go well, as it is the first time Mimika residents will elect their leader directly,"" she said.

She said the commission had prepared the election in line with current regulations even before receiving a letter from Mimika council about the planed election.

Balla said the success of the election would depend on the support of Mimika's residents and political parties. She hoped that journalists would support the effort by informing the public of the importance of voting.

She said she had asked the Mimika administration to support the election. ""Now, the Mimika administration is preparing voter data,"" she added.

Former Mimika regent Klemen Tinal has urged residents to give their support to the success of the election in the region. He said he hoped the election would run peacefully.

Tinal will run as candidate for regent for the Golkar Party.

Several political parties, including the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle and Indonesia Socialist Party, have decided to run together as the People's Voice Coalition (Koalisi Suara Rakyat).

The coalition supports Yoseph Yopi Kilangin for regent and Yohanes Felix Yeuyanan for deputy regent candidate.

""We support the election running well and peacefully. We are ready to gain as many votes as possible and win the election,"" coalition head Mark Samaran said.