Indonesia's defence minister Prabowo Subianto is on course
to become the country's next president after early results showed him winning
more than half of votes cast in the first round.
"This victory is victory for all Indonesians," he
told cheering supporters, hours after polls closed.
Early polling samples showed the feared former general
winning more than 57% of votes, avoiding a second round run-off.
Full results in the world's largest single-day vote are not
due for weeks.
But Indonesia's state-approved polling samples - so-called
"quick counts" performed within hours of voting - have been
relatively accurate in previous years.
Mr Prabowo, 72, is a polarising figure whose popularity has
prompted fears that Indonesia is in danger of sliding back towards its
authoritarian past. A former special forces commander during General Suharto's
dictatorship, he has been dogged by allegations of human rights abuses.
He was greeted by crowds of cheering supporters at an indoor
arena in Jakarta shortly after polls closed - and cautioned supporters not to
be arrogant.
"Even though we should be grateful, we must not be
arrogant, not euphoric, remain humble; this victory must be a victory for all
the people of Indonesia," said Mr Prabowo, who heads the Advanced
Indonesia Coalition.
He also mentioned the names of former presidents, including
a note of gratitude to outgoing President Joko Widodo. He ran unsuccessfully
against Mr Widodo, who remains hugely popular, in the last two elections.
However, the man known as "Jokowi" must now stand down after two
five-year terms.
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Many voters said they were disillusioned with their voting
options. "The difficulty of this election is that none of the choices is
clear-cut on the issues, so the challenge for us voters is to choose the
least-worst option," a businessman in central Jakarta told the OceanNewsUK.
But another voter, currently living in Germany, said
"Indonesia really needs a strong figure", supporting the idea of the
former general gaining office.
"Prabowo could be a good president," she said.
This time, Mr Prabowo faced two former provincial governors,
Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan. By late evening local time, quick counts
showed them trailing far behind him, on 17% and 25% respectively.
An election official holds a ballot during vote counting at
a slum area in Jakarta, Indonesia, 14 February 2024.
IMAGE SOURCE,EPA
Image caption,
More than 200 million were eligible to vote over three time
zones in the 17,000-island archipelago
Mr Prabowo's predicted victory is seen as proof that he
managed to soften his strongman image. He cast himself as a moderate,
"cuddly grandpa" figure and can be seen doing his signature dance
move, both on stage and several TikTok videos. His campaign team also
encouraged him to share cat-related content on Instagram.
He also formed an alliance with President Widodo, who came
in for criticism when his eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, joined Mr Prabowo
as running mate.
There were ecstatic scenes from supporters when the pair
entered the arena on Wednesday night. Mr Prabowo reminded them they must still
wait for official results from the election commission.
But he told the cheering crowd: "We are grateful for
the quick count results. All the calculation, all pollsters including those on
our rivals' side - the figures showed a Prabowo-Gibran win in one round."
The former general's involvement in past human right abuses
cast a shadow over his campaign, but was largely ignored by younger voters, who
make up nearly half of the electorate. He denies the allegations and has not
been convicted of anything. Activists say he has never been held accountable
for the alleged abduction and killing of pro-democracy student activists in the
1990s, and other abuses.
Given the size of Mr Prabowo's early lead, there were few
signs of optimism from his opponents.
Anies Baswedan, his nearest challenger going by the quick
counts, said he planned to continue his movement for change and pointed out
that vote tallying was not over.
"We will wait until the official result and we will
respect it," the Coalition of Change for Unity (KPP) leader and former
governor of Jakarta told reporters at his campaign headquarters.
Ganjar Pranowo, whose Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P) supported Mr Widodo's election runs, had been tipped to
succeed him early on before the latter distanced himself from his party's
campaign.
Mr Ganjar was nowhere to be seen when OceanNewsUK visited
his headquarters in central Jakarta. "Ganjar left, just saying he wanted
to go home. I don't know where he is," one journalist said.
More than 205 million voters across Indonesia's 17,000
islands and three time zones were eligible to vote in the election.
Election workers trekked through jungles and rowed boats to
deliver ballot boxes to the most remote areas in places like Papua and
Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).
