Unofficial Indonesia Election Vote Count Points to First-Round Prabowo Win
Editor
14 February 2024 17:05 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Unofficial figures in Indonesia's presidential election on Wednesday, Feb. 14, showed Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto on track to secure a majority of votes, taking an early lead that could see him win in a single round if sustained.
Prabowo had about 59% of the votes according to three pollsters, based on ballots counted in a sample of voting stations nationwide. The number of votes tallied by the three pollsters ranged from 30% to nearly 43% as of 0823 GMT.
Rivals Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo had about 23% and 17.7% respectively, according to the independent pollsters that are conducting "quick counts" at the close of voting.
Counts by reputable outlets have proven to be accurate in previous elections. An official result is not expected until several weeks after the vote.
The early pattern could signal a first-round win for Prabowo. A candidate needs more than 50% of votes cast and 20% of the ballot in half of the country's provinces.
If no candidate wins a majority, a runoff between the top two finishers will be held in June.
The contest pits popular former governors Ganjar and Anies against the pre-election frontrunner Prabowo, a former special forces commander feared in the 1990s as a top lieutenant of Indonesia's late strongman ruler Suharto.
"Alhamdulillah (Praise be to God), we hope the election can go in one round," said Nusron Wahid, secretary of Prabowo's campaigning team, commenting on the latest quick counts.
The world's biggest single-day election has included nearly 259,000 candidates vying for 20,600 posts across the archipelago of 17,000 islands, but the focus has been firmly on the race to replace President Joko Widodo, opening a new tab, whose influence could determine who takes the helm of the world's third-largest democracy.
The early lead will be a big boost for Prabowo, who has undergone an image rebrand and is contesting his third successive election after twice losing out to the hugely popular Widodo, who cannot run again.
Jokowi, as the incumbent is known, is tacitly backing and betting on his former rival as a continuity candidate to preserve his legacy, including a role for his son Gibran Rakabuming Raka as Prabowo's running mate.
Two surveys issued last week gave Prabowo just over 50% support, with Anies and Ganjar 27 and 31 points adrift, respectively.
