Batam, Riau Islands (Antara Babel) - Indonesia's presidential election in Singapore will be held on Sunday, July 6, three day ahead of the nation-wide election scheduled for July 9, 2014.
The upcoming presidential election would be held on Sunday in Singapore to allow more Indonesian citizens to vote, Mirza Nurhidayat, the chairman of the Overseas Election Committee (PPLN) in Singapore, said recently.
The Indonesian embassy in Singapore and the PPLN agreed that the election should be organized on Sunday because Indonesian students and migrant workers are usually free on Sunday.
The embassy will set up 36 polling stations in the embassy compound located on 7 Chatsworth Road.
In Singapore, some 108,077 Indonesians are eligible to vote in the presidential election, slightly decrease from 112,123 eligible voters in the legislative elections.
The latest verification of the PPLN showed that the decrease was due to the facts some Indonesia migrant workers had returned home, several Indonesian nations changed their nationality, and some others left Singapore for other countries to work.
"Many of them moved to other countries for new jobs, and only 30 people changed their nationalities," Mirza said.
Since May 2014, the PPLN and the embassy have distributed information about the presidential election. Posters and banners about the election and the candidates were displayed in strategic places such as the Indonesian School in Singapore, City Plaza and certain places where Indonesian nationals could transfer money to Indonesia.
"We have also sent letters to their employers since last month, as well as to agents that supply Indonesian migrant worker and sailors," he added.
Indonesia will organize a democratic presidential election on July 9, 2014, which will have 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 founder of Gerindra (Great Indonesia Movement) Party, 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), while his running mate, Jusuf Kalla (JK), is a former vice president and a senior politician of the Golkar Party.
