Democratic Party denies early campaigning accusation

The Democratic Party denies accusations that the party has violated election regulations by starting to campaign early

The Democratic Party, the party supporting the re-election quest of incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, held a gathering at the Jakarta Fair last Saturday.

"The gathering aimed to consolidate all of the parties involved in the coalition with the Democratic Party," Lukman Hakim, the secretary-general of one of the coalition partners, the United Development Party (PPP) and a member of the Democratic Party’s campaign team, said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

"The gathering was not open to the public, therefore, it could not be classified as a campaign event," he added.

The General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) recently published a report on a possible campaign regulation violation by the Democratic Party because of the event at the Jakarta Fair.

The regulation stipulates that campaigning can only begin as of today, while mass gatherings can only start on June 10. (hdt)