22 Parties to File Lawsuit Wednesday

VIVAnews – Forum of 22 Political Parties plans to file lawsuit over the constitutionality of the parliamentary threshold set by the Law on General Elections to the Constitutional Court on Wednesday, 3 November 2008.

The issue at hand is the provision in the current law that states that parties participating in the 2009 elections whose votes are less than 2.5 percent of total votes nationwide cannot obtain any seats in the parliament.

“This Wednesday we will go to the Constitutional Court. We didn’t go before because the lawsuit administration was not done yet,” said head of United Regional Party (PPD) Women Movement, Ratna Tobing, to VIVAnews Monday, 1 December 2008. The Party is one of members of the Forum of 22 political parties.

Today, an inventory of each party’s letter of authority is being done. The letters of authority, Ratna says, is proof that the Forum of 22 Political Parties is giving power of attorney of the lawsuit on the Law of General Elections to the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI).

Ratna says that the Forum deems the requirement of 2.5 percent votes a burden. This requirement is viewed as being against the provisions of the 1945 Constitution. “The requirement is also against democratic rights,” she said.

Translated by: Ramona Sofianne Dewi.