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Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo declared himself the winner of Indonesia's presidential election as quick-count results showed 52 percent of voters backed his candidacy. However, his rival, Prabowo Subianto, made an opposing claim, saying other data pointed to him as the victor.
The Associated Press (AP) said Widodo spoke to supporters in Jakarta, telling them that this is "not a victory for the party, not a victory for the campaign team, but this is a victory for the people Indonesia." His statement was met with jubilation by his followers, who later gathered at a popular traffic circle in the city to celebrate.
With both candidates claiming victory, the specter of political uncertainty looms over the country, which less than two decades ago made a transition to democracy following the resignation of long-time ruler Suharto.
A general in the Suharto administration, Subianto was quoted by AP saying, "Thank God, all the data from the quick counts show that we, Prabowo-Hatta, gained the people's trust."
He made the statement at a news conference where he called on "all the coalition's supporters and Indonesian people to guard and escort this victory until the official count."
Since 2004, quick counts have given accurate forecasts of every national election in Indonesia by tallying a representative sample of votes from polling stations around the country. The official result of the July 9 poll will not be available until after around two weeks.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the outgoing president, called on the candidates and their supporters to "restrain themselves" and refrain from declaring victory until the official result is announced by the election commission.
The winner will give Indonesia its seventh president. He will be only the second leader to be directly elected.
The Jakarta Post underlined the significance of the vote for the predominantly Muslim country of 240 million people, which it said remains "fragile, beset with chronic inequality, poor infrastructure and endemic corruption."
