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Impeachment of country's 7th president unlikely, MPR speaker says

Jakarta Post - October 10, 2014

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Jakarta – The newly inaugurated speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, Zulkifli Hassan, has stated that impeaching the president would be a difficult task. Presidents can only be impeached for violating the 1945 Constitution.

Zulkifli's statement was in response to reporters' questions regarding a mushrooming rumor stating that the Red-and-White Coalition, whose lawmakers dominate the House of Representatives, intended to impeach president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.

A further rumor stated that the coalition, which is led by Prabowo Subianto, who was defeated by Jokowi in the presidential contest on July 9, was making serious efforts to postpone Jokowi's inauguration as the country's seventh president, scheduled to be conducted on Oct. 20.

Zulkifli claimed that even if the rumor were true, the coalition could not impeach Jokowi because it encompassed only 62 percent of House members. "It would be very difficult for Prabowo's coalition to impeach Jokowi," he said on Friday as quoted by tempo.co.

According to the Constitution, the House could propose impeachment if at least 75 percent of lawmakers supported the proposal, said Zulkifli, a member of the National Mandate Party (PAN), one of the parties in the Prabowo-led coalition.

If the United Development Party (PPP), meanwhile, has indeed defected to Jokowi's coalition, Prabowo's coalition would find it even harder to impeach Jokowi, as its lawmakers in the House would constitute less than 62 percent, Zulkifli added.

Zulkifli, a 52-year-old Lampung-based former forestry minister, promised that he would not impede the inauguration of Jokowi and Jusuf Kalla. He said he would ensure the success of the inauguration for the sake of Indonesia.

As of Friday, Jokowi's support comes from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Hanura Party, the Nasdem Party and the Indonesian Justice and Unity Party (PKPI) at the House.

Meanwhile, the Red-and-White Coalition, Jokowi's opponents, consists of PAN, the United Development Party (PPP), the Golkar Party, the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Democratic Party and the Gerindra Party.

The PPP is likely to jump ship to Jokowi's camp out of disappointment at not having any of its members nominated as MPR or DPR speakers by the coalition. (alz)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/10/10/impeachment-country-s-7th-president-unlikely-mpr-speaker-says.html.