Ex-general Prabowo set to win Indonesia's presidential election

DPA
·3 min read
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station during the general elections in Bandung. More than 200 million voters in Indonesia will head to the polls to elect a new president, vice president, and parliamentary and local representatives in the world's largest single-day election. Algi Febri Sugita/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station during the general elections in Bandung. More than 200 million voters in Indonesia will head to the polls to elect a new president, vice president, and parliamentary and local representatives in the world's largest single-day election. Algi Febri Sugita/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Indonesia's current defence minister, Prabowo Subianto, is headed for a landslide victory in Indonesia's presidential election, according to early unofficial counts.

The 72-year-old favourite had about 57-59% of the votes, according to the so-called quick counts conducted by several independent pollsters.

His rivals, former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, appeared to be trailing far behind with about 24-26% and 16-17%, respectively.

The quick counts are based on random samples of ballots from polling stations across the country.

The numbers from various polling agencies, published by all major Indonesian media, are not official. The first official results are expected in the evening local time.

Prabowo was seen as the clear front-runner to succeed the popular President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term.

Indonesians braved the rain and floods on Wednesday to cast their ballots. The polls closed at 1 pm across the sprawling archipelago's three time zones.

Around 205 million people in the world's fourth most populous country were eligible to vote at over 820,000 polling stations across the country.

After casting his ballot, Prabowo told reporters: "As citizens, we have done our part. I appreciate the work of the election staff and wish them success."

"Rain is said to be a sign of good fortune. We should be thankful and hope for the best. We will await the outcome," he said.

As his running mate for vice president, Prabowo has nominated Jokowi's eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, who is also popular with the electorate. However, critics accuse the incumbent president of wanting to build a political family dynasty.

Prabowo has promised to boost the country's defence and security, revive the economy and protect the sovereignty. He is especially popular among young voters, thanks to a clever social media campaign.

The leader of the Great Indonesia Movement Party has his critics however.

He has been accused of human rights violations, including in connection with the kidnappings and disappearances of pro-democracy activists in the dying days of the Suharto regime in 1998. He has denied the allegations.

Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in the Harapan Mulia district in the center of Jakarta during the general elections. More than 200 million voters in Indonesia will head to the polls to elect a new president, vice president, and parliamentary and local representatives in the world's largest single-day election. Ahmad Pathoni/dpa
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in the Harapan Mulia district in the center of Jakarta during the general elections. More than 200 million voters in Indonesia will head to the polls to elect a new president, vice president, and parliamentary and local representatives in the world's largest single-day election. Ahmad Pathoni/dpa
A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during the general elections in Bandung. More than 200 million voters in Indonesia will head to the polls to elect a new president, vice president, and parliamentary and local representatives in the world's largest single-day election. Adi Pranata/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
A woman casts her ballot at a polling station during the general elections in Bandung. More than 200 million voters in Indonesia will head to the polls to elect a new president, vice president, and parliamentary and local representatives in the world's largest single-day election. Adi Pranata/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa