Jakarta – Indonesia's election commission on Wednesday said it would bar government ministers from campaigning for June's parliamentary election, a day after the government announced that most of them could.

"Parties are not allowed to have a minister or any government officials – including a village's head – in their campaign for the election," said General Election Commission chief Rudini.

"There will be sanctions on those parties which violate the regulations," he told reporters without elaborating.

On Tuesday State Secretary Akbar Tandjung said most ministers could campaign for the poll. President B.J. Habibie had decided only five senior ministers would be barred, Tandjung said.

Most ministers belong to the Golkar party which held power for decades under disgraced former President Suharto. Other parties fear Golkar will gain an unfair advantage.

Golkar, which Suharto adopted as his own political vehicle, won every election in Indonesia during his 32-year rule.

Commission head Rudini said his body could draw up rules forbidding parties from using ministers in their campaign trail.

He was speaking on the sidelines of one of a series of meetings at which rules for the June 7 vote are being finalised.

Election rules and regulations are due to be completed on April 1. The vote is the first since Suharto quit last May and is intended to give Indonesia a more democratic future.

Under Suharto, only three parties were allowed to contest elections. But 48 are approved to take part in the June vote.