Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission II intends to begin discussing the participation of non-party or individual candidates in regional chief elections in January 2008, a spokesman said.

"We will begin discussing it as soon as possible, or at the beginning of the House`s next sitting," House Commission II Chairman Ernst Evert Mangindaan said here Thursday.

He said the commission seriously intended to tackle the matter as there was mounnting pressure from non-governmental orgnizations and observers to soon make a limited revision to Law No 32 on regional administrations to enable non-party or individual candidates to contest regional chief elections.

"The House`s Commission II will definitely make the revision at the earliest opportunity during the next House sitting. We hope that will be in January, 2008 and then we will discuss it as quickly as possible," Mangindaan said.

Earlier, Jeiry Sumampouw, national coordinator of the People`s Voters` Education Network (JPPR), one of the NGOs that have been most vigorously urging the formalization of non-party or individual candidates` right to run in regional elections, said a revision to Law No 32 needed to be made soon to enable independent candidates to take part in regional chief elections starting in 2008.

In the law so far, only political parties are permitted to name candidates in elections for provincial governor, district chief or city mayor. But the Constitutional Court some time ago ruled that independent candidates had an equal right to run in such elections. The Constitional Court`s opinion, however, has until now not been followed up with an amendement to the law. (*)

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