Police warns against unrest over poll results
JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities warned yesterday against unrest as a firebrand ex-general rejected unofficial election results that appeared to hand President Joko Widodo another term as leader of the world’s third-biggest democracy.
National Police Chief Tito Karnavian said Wednesday’s “smooth and safe” polls would not be disrupted by demonstrations, and warned of arrests.
“If there are any illegal or unconstitutional actions that threaten public stability and security, (authorities) will take firm action,” he said.
“We won’t tolerate it. I urge everyone against mass demonstrations, whether it’s to celebrate or to express dissatisfaction” at the results, Karnavian added.
This year’s campaign was punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake news online – much of it directed at the presidential contenders.
Authorities said Thursday they had seen a spike in false reports and hoaxes, with some calling for chaos in the streets and for Indonesians to commit violence in response to the results.
However, the capital Jakarta was quiet yesterday after as many as 190 million voters in the Muslim-majority country cast ballots in the one-day poll – which featured a record 245,000 candidates – to elect a new president, parliamentarians and local legislators.
While official results are not due until next month, a series of so-called “quick counts” by pollsters, which are based on samples, showed Widodo between 9 and 11 percentage points ahead.
Quick counts have been reliable indicators in past elections, but Widodo held off declaring victory – while his rival Prabowo Subianto insisted he was the archipelago’s next leader.
Widodo’s running mate Ma’ruf Amin called for calm Friday, saying the pair would not claim victory until official results were released by the electoral commission.
“We urge people not to be caught up in euphoria based on the quick count results,” he told reporters.
The former general – who has close ties to the Suharto dictatorship, which collapsed in 1998 – earlier warned he would challenge the results in court if he lost and stage street protests over allegations of voter fraud.
“We will not use illegal tactics because we have won,” Subianto said Wednesday.
“For those who defended (my rivals), I’m still going to defend you. I’m the president of all Indonesians.”
The 67-year-old, who has long had his eye on the country’s top job, lost to Widodo in 2014 and then mounted an unsuccessful legal challenge to that election. — AFP
If there are any illegal or unconstitutional actions that threaten public stability and security, (authorities) will take firm action. Tito Karnavian, National Police Chief