Indonesia's General Elections Commission (KPU) denied accusation that it takes side on certain presidential candidates in the poll scheduled for July 8, 2009, an official said on Thursday.

The denial came after media reports said street banners designed by KPU direct people to choose the incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his running mate Boediono.

The banners, posted in several provinces, however did not carry electoral numbers or pictures of candidates, were accused of showing a check sign in the box occupied by President Yudhoyono.

Endang Sulastri who chairs the KPU's working committee for vote-marking procedures, said the banners "are really a technical error," and the working group immediately recalled the banners right after it knew the mistake.

"We recalled the banners before the election watchdog (Bawaslu) sent us a letter to clarify it on June 26, 2009," she said.

However, she added, the banners had several mistakes, not merely provided 'benefit' for President Yudhoyono.

"The other mistakes show that the check signs are also in the box number of one and three," she said, referring to the order number of pairs of Megawati Soekarnoputri-Prabowo Subianto and Jusuf Kalla-Wiranto.

She stressed that KPU stays neutral and professional.

"However, if there are some groups of community interpreting that KPU taking side, we apologize," she said.

Source: Xinhua