Early Indonesia poll results show Widodo in lead

A man in Thor’s costume shows his inked finger after casting at a polling station during election in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday, April 17, 2019. Voting is underway in Indonesia’s presidential and legislative elections after a campaign that that pitted the moderate incumbent against an ultra-nationalist former general. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

JAKARTA, Indonesia –  Early preliminary results in Indonesia’s presidential election show President Joko Widodo ahead of challenger Prabowo Subianto by 10 to 12 percentage points.

The so-called “quick counts” from reputable survey organizations that use a sample of polling stations have been reliable in past elections.

With between 40% and 50% of sample polling stations counted, four polling organizations showed Widodo winning 54% to 56% of the votes.

About 193 million people were eligible to vote in polls that will decide who leads the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. Official results from the Election Commission are expected in May.

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1 p.m.

Voting has ended in Indonesia’s presidential and legislative elections, with tens of millions of people casting votes without widespread hitches.

Preliminary results based on so-called “quick counts” as votes are publicly tallied at polling stations are expected to start rolling in within two hours.

The quick counts from reputable survey organizations have been reliable in past elections.

Voting appeared to go smoothly, though ballots weren’t available at two districts in Jayapura, the capital of easternmost Papua province, where angry residents argued with police.

About 193 million people were eligible to vote in polls that will decide who leads the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. The presidential campaign pits President Joko Widodo against Prabowo Subianto, a former general from the era of the Suharto military dictatorship that ended two decades ago.

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12:15 p.m.

People in two districts of Jayapura, the capital of volatile Papua province in Indonesia’s east, were unable to vote after ballots and ballot boxes weren’t delivered.

Yosina, a resident in Abepura district who uses a single name, said, “We are very disappointed, we have waited for nothing since this morning. We want to cast our vote but ballot box was not there.”

Police officers pushed her away from the polling station after she shouted, “This is a big question mark for us, don’t fool us, we are smart, don’t play with us.”

Theodorus Kosay, chairman of the province’s election commission, said the problems arose because of delays in replacing damaged ballots and lack of volunteers.

The election in the two affected districts was postponed until Thursday.

Voting in Papua, which is two hours ahead of Jakarta time, ended more than an hour ago.

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11 a.m.

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has voted in presidential and legislative elections, holding up a finger dipped in inedible ink to show reporters and saying his next stop is playing with his grandson and eating with his wife.

Asked if he was feeling optimistic about the results of Wednesday’s poll, Widodo said: “Always. We should stay optimistic at work.”

Preliminary results from the presidential and legislative elections are expected to starting rolling in about two hours after polls close at 1 p.m.

Opinion polls showed Widodo with lead as large as 20 percentage points over his challenger Prabowo Subianto, though analysts say the race is likely tighter.

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8:30 a.m.

Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto has voted in Indonesia’s presidential and legislative elections and says he confident of winning despite polls showing that he trails President Joko Widodo by up to 20 percentage points.

After voting, Subianto, a former special forces general, echoed his campaign themes of a weak Indonesia at risk of disintegration.

Speaking in English, he said “I promised that we will work for the good of the country. If it’s chaos or not it’s not coming from us, but I guarantee that we don’t want to be cheated anymore, that Indonesian people don’t want to be cheated anymore.”

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7 a.m.

Voting is underway in presidential and legislative elections in Indonesia, the world’s third-biggest democracy, after a campaign that pitted the moderate incumbent against an ultranationalist former general.

The first votes were cast in easternmost provinces after polling booths opened at 7 a.m. followed an hour later by central regions such as Bali and then the capital Jakarta and western provinces. Indonesia, a sprawling archipelago of 17,000 islands, has three time zones.

About 193 million people are eligible to vote in polls that will decide who leads the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation. The campaign pit President Joko Widodo against Prabowo Subianto, a former general from the Suharto military dictatorship era. /gsg