Post-poll unrest in Indonesia: 6 die, protests swell
JAKARTA (Reuters) — Demonstrations over the outcome of last month’s presidential election gripped the heart of Indonesia’s capital yesterday after an overnight face-off between police and protesters in which, according to Jakarta’s governor, six people were killed.
The protests followed an announcement before dawn on Tuesday by the election commission confirming that President Joko Widodo had beaten his challenger, former general Prabowo Subianto, in the April 17 poll.
Crowds swelled in central Jakarta yesterday morning and police said they expected more protesters to join them before nightfall. Some of those arriving carried wooden poles and some had smeared toothpaste around their eyes, apparently to protect themselves from tear gas.
The majority of the protesters appeared to have come from outside Jakarta and police found envelopes containing money on some of the people they searched, National Police spokesman Muhamad Iqbal told a news conference.
“This is not a spontaneous incident, this is something by design. There are indications that the mobs are paid and bent on causing chaos,” he said.
Hundreds of students also protested peacefully in the city of Medan, located north of Sumatra island, demanding an investigation into alleged election cheating, TVOne reported.
The General Election Commission on Tuesday confirmed unofficial counts by private pollsters that gave Widodo a 55.5-percent share of votes against 44.5 percent for Prabowo.
Widodo won more than 85 million votes of 154 million cast in the world’s thirdlargest democracy, but retired general Prabowo has alleged “massive cheating and irregularities.”