Jakarta – Indonesia's Muslim-led United Development Party (PPP) is considering a boycott of the upcoming campaign for 29 May elections in response to tough restrictions on political campaigning.

A party cadre said on Tuesday seven PPP chapters in Central Java had sent a letter to the party's executive board recommending a boycott of official campaigning from April to late May.

A letter suggesting the boycott ''has been sent to the PPP executive board", Zainal Ma'arif, party secretary for the Solo chapter, said.

He said the letter was also signed by PPP chapters in Sragen, Wonogiri, Karanganyar, Boyolali, Klaten and Sukoharjo, all districts of Central Java.

''If the (campaign) regulations that disadvantage the parties are retained, we just do not see the point in us taking part in the election campaign," he said.

He said the letter referred to a package of five new regulations governing campaigning which did not reflect ''honest and just" elections.

The PPP holds 62 seats in parliament. The party, along with the ruling Golkar party and the Indonesian Democracy Party (PDI), will compete for 425 seats in the 500-seat parliament in the May elections.

The remaining 75 seats go to members from the armed forces who are not allowed to vote in the elections.

Under the new campaigning rules, political parties are given a strict campaign schedule that could require party executives to travel to distant destinations throughout the Indonesian archipelago in a single day.

Parties also must have campaign speeches they plan to broadcast checked by the government and must register any vehicles used in campaign rallies with local police.

Jakarta has also ruled that the three recognised political parties _ the ruling Golkar party, PPP and the PDI _ will be prohibited from organising street rallies during the campaign.