Joko leads early projections in Indonesian elections

Polls have closed in Indonesia's presidential elections. Exit polls indicate that Jakarta governor Joko Widodo has a small lead over his opponent, ex-general Prabowo Subianto.

Deutsche Welle, 9 July 2014

Early tallies released by polling agencies on Wednesday gave Jakarta governor Joko Widodo around 53 percent of the vote, while former general Prabowo Subianto trailed with 47 percent.

The pollsters based the figures on exit polls of around 70 percent of the votes.

The head of Joko Widodo's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Sukarnoputri, claimed victory, citing what she called the "quick count."

Analysts described this year's presidential campaign in Indonesia as the country's most bitterly-fought since the downfall of dictator Suharto in 1998.

Change of direction

While some voters perceive Joko Widodo as a politician who could usher in a new style of leadership, as he has no links to the country's troubled political past, they fear that Prabowo Subianto might do the opposite and push them back toward authoritarian rule.

Subianto, who was also the son-in-law of the late Indonesian dictator Suharto has vowed to give the country firm leadership.

A coalition of six parties with nearly 60 percent control of parliament is backing the ex-general.

Indonesia has an ethnically and religiously diverse population. Over 87 percent of the nation's 253.6 million inhabitants are Muslim, while Christians make up roughly 10 percent of the population. The remaining 3 percent are Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian.

mz/ipj (AFP, Reuters, dpa)

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