Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, 72, is widely believed to have won the election after only a single round. He declared to supporters late Wednesday that it was "a victory for all Indonesians."
Preliminary results show Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto leading by a significant margin in the Indonesian presidential election. (Graphic: CNA)
According to the Indonesian Survey Organization (LSI), based on 90.4% of the sample ballots counted on Wednesday evening, Mr. Prabowo was in the lead with 58.45% of the vote, while Mr. Anies Baswedan had 24.99% and Mr. Ganjar Pranowo had 16.55% of the vote.
Indonesia's national election authority is expected to announce the official results on March 20.
Barclays economist Brian Tan said: “He appears to be the chosen successor to outgoing President Joko Widodo and has promised to continue current policies, which will provide some reassurance to investors.”
Widodo has not confirmed his support for any candidate, but Prabowo's running mate is the President's eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is expected to become the youngest vice president in Indonesian history.
Both have pledged to continue Widodo's legacy of positioning the resource-rich G20 economy as a hub for electric vehicles, expanding large-scale infrastructure and promoting social support, while creating millions of jobs.
The runner-up, Anies, the former governor of Jakarta with 25% of the vote, said his group would wait for the official results and respect the people's decision.
The Indonesian elections saw nearly 259,000 candidates competing for 20,600 positions across the archipelago.
In the parliamentary election, parties supporting Prabowo won approximately 42% of the vote, while the alliance behind Anies received 27%, suggesting that Prabowo's upcoming administration is likely to receive strong support from the Indonesian Parliament.
If confirmed victorious, the new Indonesian president will officially take office in October of this year.
Hoang Anh (according to CNA, Reuters)
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