SBY TELECONFERENCE WAS NOT CAMPAIGN ACTIVITY: BAWASLU

Jakarta, July 16 (ANTARA) - The General Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) said on Thursday the teleconference held by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) with governors on July 7, a day before presidential election last week was not a campaign activity.

"The teleconference was organized by SBY in his capacity as the head of government," Wirdyaningsih of Bawaslu said here on Thursday when she explained the conclusion of her organization's investigation into the case.

She said that the president held the conference purely to check the election preparations by regional governments in supporting and facilitating the implementation of the presidential elections by the General Elections Commission (KPU).

The support and facilitation were provided for the smooth implementation of the election based on Article 121, Law No. 22 2007 and Presidential Regulation No. 4/2009.

"In this case, Bawaslu has decided not to follow up a report on the allegation that the teleconference is an election violation. The teleconferene did not include a campaign material," Wirdyaningsih said.

The Mega-Pro presidential campaign team has reported to the Bawaslu that SBY's teleconference with provincial governors during the cooling down period on July 7, 2009 (one day before the elections day) was a cloaked campaign.

Previously national campaign team of the SBY-Boediono presidential pair has provided clarifications with the Bawaslu.

The campaign team of the SBY-Boediono presidential ticket said that SBY's teleconference with provincial governors on July 7, 2009 was not a campaign but an activity to check the election preparations.

"We told the Election Supervisory Board (Bawaslu) that SBY held the teleconference not in his capacity as a presidential candidate but as a head of state to check the election preparations," SBY-Boediono's National campaign chairman Hatta Rajasa said.

He said that the teleconference was the president's agenda in his capacity as the head of state to check the preparations.

The chairman of the SBY-Boediono national campaign team said that what was done by Yudhoyono was in line with Presidential Decision No.4 / 2009.***1***