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tudents from the Indonesian Arts Institute (ISI) Denpasar have once again staged a fierce protest against the elected rector at their campus on Friday.

The students lodged their protest through dance and various arts activities. They also displayed a large banner saying "REVOLISI", a condolence to the death of campus democracy.

The students were protesting the re-election of Wayan Rai S, a move that they considered "undemocratic".

Wayan Catra was the original winner of the March 2008 election. However, in August 2008, under the national education minister's orders, the election was repeated and Wayan Rai was named as the ISI's new rector.

He was officially inaugurated in March 2009 in Jakarta.

Nengah Ariawan, chairman of the ISI student board, said the protest was only the beginning.

"We will continue to stage activities against the appointment of Wayan Rai," he said.

According to the students, the electoral process had ignored democratic principles.

"This will be a bad precedent in the academic world, which is supposed to take pride in our democratic system."

Ariawan said the ISI students had received moral support from fellow students and from those who wished to uphold the country's democracy.

Nyoman Sedana, a professor at the institute, supported his students. He said Wayan Rai had frequently violated regulations and had often been caught in lies during his office period.

Rai was the former rector before he was re-elected and inaugurated in March 2009.

"There were clear indications that people in the central government were involved in the electoral process. It is like living in the New Order period," the professor said.

Wayan Rai, when contacted by The Jakarta Post, was out of his office.

"I received a text message from staff saying there was a protest against me on the campus. This is a common thing, a typical part of the democratic process," the rector said.

Rai said he was preparing for a trip to Besakih Mother Temple in Karangasem.