Events with free prizes for participants violated a 2016 KPU regulation, commissioner Ferry Kurnia Rizkiansyah said on Tuesday. No candidates running in next year's elections may offer prizes during their campaigns, including social media campaigns.

Often at events or gatherings organizers will provide expensive gifts such as refrigerators, minor haj pilgrimages, televisions or motorcycles to visitors participating in the events.

According to the same regulation, candidates are allowed to hold competitions such as cultural or sports events but can only award prizes in the form of goods valued at less than Rp 1 million (USD$ 77), Ferry said. Furthermore, gubernatorial candidates can only hold a maximum of two competitions while regency and municipality leadership candidates can only hold one competition during the campaign period, which runs from Oct. 28 to Feb. 11.

KPU chairman Juri Ardiantoro also stressed that election candidates must not hand out cash to campaign participants as this would be regarded as vote buying. The KPU also stipulates that candidates can only spend a maximum of Rp 25,000 on campaign paraphernalia such as pens, hats, T-shirts and calendars.

Simultaneous regional elections are scheduled to take place in February 2017 in 101 regions, including seven provinces, across Indonesia.  (rin)

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