National – The General Elections Commission (KPU) has decided not to allow legislative candidates to use billboards in their political campaigns. The KPU has included the regulation in its regulation No. 15/2013, which officially took effect on Sept. 2.

The regulation also restricted legislative candidates from putting up banners, but allows political parties to use billboards and banners for the campaign, while restricting them to just one for each area.

Members of the House of Representatives objected to the KPU's new campaign regulation, saying it would not only favour incumbents but would also deal a severe blow to advertisement businesses.

"The KPU should know better. The business is mainly run by small-scale entrepreneurs," said Democratic Party (PD) lawmaker Nurhayati Ali Assegaf.

Nurhayati said lawmakers would abide by the new rule. "We can't do anything but abide by it, but I want to ask the KPU to also discipline those political parties that own media companies," she added.