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Banda Aceh – The Aceh Party faction in the provincial legislative assembly or DPRA has rejected an article in a draft bylaw or qanun on the organization of elections that allows independent or non-party candidates to run for office. 

The draft qanun was to be presented to a DPRA plenary session for endorsement soon.
“We reject the article about independent candidates because it violates Law No.11/2006 about Aceh`s administration (UUPA),” said one of the Aceh Party faction members, Ridwan Abubakar, here on Tuesday.
Ridwan, when reading out the faction`s final statement at the DPRA plenary session said, the UUPA article no.256 regulates that an independent candidate was only allowed to take part in the gubernatorial election in December 2006.
According to him, although the Constitutional Court (MK) had annulled article 256, the Aceh Party considered it as out of procedure, because the MK had never consulted the DPRA before making the decision.
“The article no.256 should not be revoked because the absence of independent candidates is a specific feature of Aceh province`s political system. If this article is revoked it is a violation of the Helsinki memorandum of understanding (MoU),” he said.
The UUPA was made based on the Helsinki MoU which is a peace agreement between the Indonesian government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).
The Aceh Party faction councillor also said that election disputes should be settled by the MK adding that based the UUPA, the election disputes should be settled by the Supreme Court.
In the meantime, Jeramin of the Democrat party faction said his party could accept the independent candidate to be put into the regional election regulation (qanun).[]