REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The General Elections Commission (KPU) has amended the schedule of next Sunday's vice presidential debate from 8.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. after the Muslims' evening "Taraweh" prayers, stated KPU Commissioner Sigit Pamungkas.
"If we use the previous time schedule, many people will not be able to watch it (because they are attending the evening Taraweh prayers). Thus, the aim of the debate will not be achieved," Pamungkas noted here on Wednesday.
Therefore, the KPU decided to postpone the time schedule for next Sunday's (June 29) debate from 8.00 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
Pamungkas claimed that the two camps have agreed to the change in time schedule. The debate between the vice presidential candidates next Sunday will be the fourth of a series of presidential and vice presidential debates for the upcoming July 9 presidential election.
Indonesia will organize a free and democratic presidential election on July 9, 2014, which will be contested by only two pairs of presidential and vice presidential candidates: Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa and Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Jusuf Kalla.
Prabowo Subianto is a retired military general and the chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), while his running mate, Hatta Rajasa, is a former coordinating minister for economic affairs and the chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN).
Jokowi is Jakarta's Governor and a cadre of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), and his running mate, Jusuf Kalla (JK), is a former vice president and a senior politician of the Golkar Party.
The Jokowi-JK pair is supported by five political parties: PDIP, the Nation Awakening Party (PKB), the People's Conscience Party (Hanura), the Justice and Indonesian Unity Party (PKPI), and the National Democrats Party (Nasdem) established by Surya Paloh, the owner of Metro TV and the Media Indonesia newspaper.
The Prabowo-Hatta pair is supported by Gerindra, PAN, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the United Development Party (PPP), the Moon and Star Party (PBB), and the Golkar Party, whose current chairman is Aburizal Bakrie, the owner of TV One.
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