JAKARTA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian authorities banned on Tuesday live broadcasting of quick counts on developing results of elections, to slap sentences against polling agencies that do so before the elections concluded at 13:00 p.m. Wednesday in western region.
Polling agencies and national TV stations are only allowed to broadcast their quick counts at 15:00 p.m. Western Indonesia Time (WIB) on Wednesday, or two hours after conclusion of elections process in the nation's western region.
"It is strongly prohibited to broadcast the progressing results of election before the time that has been legalized by the existing law. There will be legal sentences against those who violate the law," an Indonesian General Elections Commission (KPU) Commissioner Wahyu Setiawan said in his office here.
He said that the elections would begin on 07:00 a.m. local time. With 2-hour gap, the nation's eastern region would commence elections 2 hours earlier than the western region.
Setiawan's warning for the polling agencies was to strengthen legal decision issued by the nation's supreme legal institution of Constitutional Court that rejects polling agencies' appeal on broadcasting of quick count during the elections process.
Violation on the prohibition carries sentences of 18 months imprisonment and fined up to 18 million rupiah (1,277 U.S. dollars).
At least 40 polling agencies to broadcast results of quick counts have been listed by the KPU at present.
The upcoming presidential election is a rematch between Joko Widodo and his arch rival Prabowo Subianto. Widodo won 53.15 percent of votes in 2014 to seize the presidency until 2019, trashed the former army general Subianto who earned 46.85 percent.
The KPU has listed over 192 million eligible voters in 2019 elections, of which over 2 million of them cast their votes abroad.
