JAKARTA (Reuters): Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto declared victory in a presidential election on Wednesday after unofficial vote counts showed him with a huge lead, and on course for a single-round win in his third attempt at the presidency.
Political veteran Prabowo, a former special forces commander, trounced his rivals, winning about 58% of votes according to four pollsters, based on “quick count” ballots at samples of voting stations nationwide. The number of votes tallied ranged from about 86% to 95% as of 1400 GMT.
Appearing before supporters alongside his running mate, the incumbent president’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Prabowo, 72, declared the outcome “a victory for all Indonesians”, in a rousing speech that drew roars and applause.
“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,” he said.
“We will assemble a government consisting of the best sons and daughters of Indonesia.”
Rivals Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo trailed with about 25% and 17% respectively, according to the independent pollsters conducting the sample counts, which in previous elections have proven to be accurate.
A preliminary count by the election commission was far slower and showed Prabowo securing 57.7% of votes with about 6% of ballots recorded.
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