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he Indonesian Doctor's Association (IDI) announced health standards for presidential and vice presidential candidates Friday, calling on female hopefuls to avert sexual relations at least 10 days before the medical checkup.

Association chairman Fachmi Idris said a team of nine doctors would examine the mental and physical capabilities of each candidate before declaring them medically eligible to contest the July 8 presidential election.

"In principle, a healthy presidential or vice presidential candidates would be one who had no problem carrying out their daily physical activities," he told reporters.

He said the candidates must not have certain diseases which could impact on their physical abilities in the next five years.

"Each candidate must show strong mental skills, good obser-vation capacities, analytic thinking and communication skills," Fachmi said.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) signed an agreement with the IDI to perform medical checkups on all presidential candidates and their running mates.

There are three checkups scheduled for from May 13 to May 15 at the Gatot Subroto Army Hospital (RSPAU).

He said female candidates should not engage in sexual relations or consume medicine prescribed for female reproduction purposes in order to get maximum results.

"We say this to avoid the results of the medical checkup being bias," he said.

So far, there is likely to be only one female candidate - Megawati Soekarnoputri - who has been nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the party she currently chairs.

All candidates were also ordered to fast one day before undergoing the checkup.

"They are only allowed to drink water," he added.

The team of doctors, which will consist of nine specialists from both mental and physical fields, are expected to spend about seven hours checking one candidate.

Under the presidential election schedules set by the KPU, presidential and vice presidential candidates must register their nominations with the national polls body between May 10 and May 16.

Based on the presidential election law, a party or a coalition of political groups is eligible to register a presidential candidate if it secures at least 20 percent of the seats at the House of Representative, or 25 percent of the popular votes in the legislative elections.

The KPU is scheduled to announce the final results of the April 9 legislative elections on May 9.

In the upcoming presidential race, Megawati is expected to challenge the incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono - a repeat of the 2004 presidential election - that was won by Yudhoyono and the Democratic Party.