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Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The General Elections Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) is not yet able to carry out its task of supervising election preparation stages which began on Saturday because its members have yet to be sworn in by the Supreme Court, a spokesman said.

"We are ready to coordinate but we have not taken our official oaths yet so we cannot come to the function where the government is to formally hand population data to the General Election Commission (KPU)," Nur Hidayat Sardini, a Bawaslu member, said here on Saturday.

The KPU on Saturday at the Home Affairs Ministry received data on the country`s population and on those who are potential voters for next year`s general election.

The KPU chairman addressed the function which marked the beginning of official preparations for the 2009 general election.

Based on Article 98 point 2 of Law No. 22/ 2007 on the Implementation of General Elections, the oaths of Bawaslu members must be taken by a Supreme Court judge at the KPU office.

The KPU had written to the Supreme Court to send judges for taking the oath of Bawaslu members but the Court had until Saturday not responded to the KPU`s request.
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