Slamet Susanto and Ruslan Sangadji, Yogyakarta/Palu – Forty-two legislative candidates in Yogyakarta are believed to have been linked with the outlawed and now-defunct Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), a poll official said on Tuesday.

The Yogyakarta General Election Commission (KPU) would soon verify the report. If it was proved to be true, the commission would ban the 42 candidates from contesting the upcoming elections, local KPU chairman Suparman Marzuki said.

"[The KPU] obtained this information from the Yogyakarta Military command and the Body for Unity, Public Order and People's Protection in Yogyakarta," Suparman said. None of the names of the 42 candidates had yet been released to the public, he said.

They are contesting legislative seats in the Yogyakarta provincial council, Bantul, Kulonprogo, Sleman and Gunung Kidul regency councils and the Yogyakarta mayoralty council.

According to general election rules, candidates found to be previously involved with the communist movement are banned from contesting in the general election.

Supraman said the Yogyakarta KPU would confine investigations to those legislative candidates allegedly linked to the PKI who were competing for seats on the Yogyakarta Legislative Council. The remaining candidates at regency levels would be summoned and probed by the regental KPUs, respectively.