Prabowo takes a clear lead
• Indonesia’s defence minister is far ahead of his rivals and may wrap up the election in the first round
Unofficial tallies in Indonesia’s presidential election on Wednesday showed defence minister Prabowo Subianto taking a commanding lead that could see him win in a single round.
Prabowo had about 58% of votes cast according to four pollsters, based on ballots counted in a sample of voting stations nationwide. The number of votes they had tallied ranged from about 52% to 67% at 9.12am GMT.
Rivals Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo had about 25% and 17%, respectively, according to the independent pollsters that were conducting “quick counts” at the close of voting.
Counts by reputable outlets have proved to be accurate in previous elections.
An official result is not expected for several weeks.
The pattern could signal a first-round win for Prabowo.
To win in a single round, a candidate needs more than 50% of the votes cast and 20% of the ballot in half of the country’s provinces. If no candidate wins a majority, a runoff between the top two finishers will be held in June.
The contest pits popular former governors Ganjar and Anies against the pre-election
front-runner Prabowo, a former special forces commander feared in the 1990s as a top lieutenant of Suharto, Indonesia’s late strongman ruler.
“Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), we hope the election can go in one round,” said Nusron Wahid, secretary of Prabowo’s campaigning team.
The world’s biggest singleday election has included nearly 259,000 candidates vying for 20,600 posts across the archipelago of 17,000 islands, but the focus has been firmly on the race to replace President Joko Widodo, whose influence could determine who takes the helm of the world’s third-largest democracy.
The early lead will be a big boost for Prabowo, who has undergone an image rebrand and is contesting his third successive election after twice losing
to the hugely popular Widodo, who cannot run again because of term limits. Jokowi, as the incumbent is known, is tacitly backing and betting on his former rival as a continuity candidate to preserve his legacy, including a role for his son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as Prabowo’s running mate.
Two surveys published last week gave Prabowo just over 50% support, with Anies and
Ganjar 27 and 31 points adrift, respectively, though the quick counts point to a stronger lead.
“This is an emphatic result that diminishes prospects for legal challenges and will also provide the Widodo-Prabowo alliance with an element of affirmation from the public for decision-making in the months ahead,” said political analyst Kevin O’Rourke.
Nonetheless, “concerns exist about the prospect of further incursions on democratic norms”, he added.
Former Jakarta governor Anies and ex-Central Java governor Ganjar had been trying to woo undecided voters to try to force a runoff in June.
“I want to underline that we want honest and fair elections so that it becomes peaceful,” Anies said at a polling station.
SECURITY
Deadly riots broke out after the 2019 election, when Prabowo had initially contested Jokowi’s victory.
About 200,000 security personnel were on guard during Wednesday’s voting.
“So far, the situation is under control,” said national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo.
Anies has campaigned on promises of change and preventing a backsliding in the democratic reforms in the 25 years since the end of Suharto’s authoritarian, kleptocratic rule.
Ganjar hails from the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle, of which Jokowi is ostensibly a member, and has campaigned largely on continuing the president’s policies but, crucially, lacks his endorsement.
ABOUT 200,000 SECURITY PERSONNEL WERE ON GUARD DURING THE VOTING
Before voting, he also called for a clean election so that candidates could accept the result.
Hasto Kristiyanto, a senior politician in his campaign team said there had been many reports of alleged cheating in Central Java and East Java and some intimidation.
Prabowo said on Wednesday he hoped the “voting process goes well”.
In later comments from a swimming pool at his private residence near Jakarta, the wealthy 72-year-old business person said he wanted to defend truth, eliminate corruption and ensure no-one in Indonesia went hungry.
“I want there to be no 70year-old people still driving rickshaws. That’s my wish,” he added.