There will be no mass gatherings during the campaign period that commences in Bali next week because it coincides with the Bali Art Festival, Bali Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) chairman Raka Suwarna said.

The monthlong festival, officially opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Saturday, will run until July 12.

The festival is expected to attract a lot of attention, with many interesting artistic and cultural events taking place.

The decision not to hold any mass gatherings was supported by representatives from the campaign teams of all three governor candidates, Suwarna said, adding the teams were now looking at alternative approaches to campaigning.

Panwaslu has received several complaints from residents who are worried about the possibility of clashes between supporters, as seen in many other regions during the regional election campaign.

"Since Denpasar is the capital of Bali, where more than half the population has a high education level, I think it is time for us to deliver a more elegant way of campaigning," Suwarna said Saturday.

He said penalties would apply if any of the campaign teams broke their promise, even though there is currently no form of sanction for such violations.

"The campaign teams will debate penalties on Monday, facilitated by the Bali General Elections Commission (KPUD)," he said.

Any other violations will be dealt with according to the regulation, he added.

"So when it comes to an administrative violation, then the KPUD will handle it and if it is a criminal violation, the police will take it over," he said.

Recently appointed Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Teuku Ashikin Husein had earlier said a joint team consisting of members from the police, the prosecutor's office and the KPUD had been established. He said the team was prepared to respond quickly to any problem that arose, including any clashes during the election process.

"We need to minimize every potential conflict so nothing will disrupt the event," he said at a press gathering held last week.

He said the police planned to deploy around 7,000 officers to secure the election process. The deployment will begin during the campaign period.

Candidates have also agreed to install their political banners in the same compound, as indicated earlier, Suwarna said.

The campaign period for the gubernatorial campaign will run from June 22 to July 5. There will then be a period of silence before eligible residents cast their votes on July 9.

I Ketut Ngastawa, a member of one of the campaign teams, said several new campaign methods were under consideration, with a series of public discussions at the top of the list.

"We will go to every district in the town to hold discussions, just like we did in the last mayor's election," he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Denpasar residents experienced a campaign with no mass gatherings during the 2004 mayor election, in which A.A. Puspayoga, one of the current gubernatorial candidates, was elected as Denpasar mayor.

Astawa said the installation of political banners was a good idea because it could show people their leaders were not forgetting the spirit of brotherhood despite their political rivalry.