While the National Police said it would indiscriminately investigate allegations of early campaigning by the incumbent President, experts doubt whether a guilty candidate would be disqualified from the July election.

Police spokesperson Abubakar Nataprawira said Monday the police would "process the case of anyone who violated the law, even if was the President himself".

On Saturday, the Election Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) reported the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Boediono pair had allegedly violated the 2008 Presidential Election Law, saying they had held an open campaign before the official open campaigning season starting June 11.

The overall campaign started June 2, and until June 10, candidates can only engage in "closed and limited meetings".

Open campaigning is only allowed from June 11 to July 4.

Jeirry Sumampow of the Indonesian Election Committee (TEPI), an independent election watchdog, said SBY's team could be charged for violating a clause on early campaigning.

"However it is unlikely they will be found guilty in court," he said Monday.

Time will be wasted, he said, "debating the definition of a campaign".

The Bawaslu filed a report recently stating SBY and his team had started campaigning early, on May 30.

Hatta Rajasa, head of SBY's election team, said Monday they were only "preparing" party members in the "internal" event held for political parties supporting SBY's candidacy.

Punished violators should be disqualified from the elections, Jeirry said.

"However, I doubt the court will give criminal or even administrative penalties, which range from warnings to banning from the campaign."

If found guilty of early campaigning, violators are punishable with a prison sentence of up to 12 months and a maximum fine of Rp 12 million (US$ 12,000).

The Bawaslu says it is also looking into the activities of other candidates prior to June 2.

The supervisory body also reported that the May 30 forum held in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, by SBY and his Democratic Party for his party supporters, was also aired by local TV stations.

Hatta, head of SBY’s election team, and Suryadharma Ali, chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), one of the parties supporting SBY's candidacy, clarified the purpose of the event with the Bawaslu on Monday.

“Media coverage by local TV stations was not [intentionally] part of the event. We let them broadcast

our event because we respect press freedom... We certainly did not sign any deal with those TV stations,” Hatta said.

He added the team had reported the event to the police and Jakarta’s Election Supervisory Committee prior to the gathering.

“The committee said that it was alright, as long as it was an internal meeting and we did not use campaigning materials,” he said.

Bawaslu said it had sent letters to SBY and Boediono's election team on June 2 and June 5, seeking clarification on the event, but the team did not respond.

Hatta admitted the team had failed to respond in time.

Nur Hidayat Sardini, chairman of the Bawaslu, welcomed the team’s explanation, but said the body had already filed the report to the police.

The Bawaslu is also investigating the Megawati Soekarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto pair and their team for possible campaign violations during a gathering on June 6 in Rengasdengklok, West Java.

Megawati and her running mate commemorated former President Sukarno's 108th birthday with around 20,000 supporters on June 6.

Wahidah Suaib, a Bawaslu member, said this violated a law limiting the number of attendants for "closed and limited meetings" in the campaigning period.

In the regencies the limit should be 1,000 people, she said.

"We're studying the video recording of the event." (fmb)

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