Indonesia polls: Joko Widodo declares victory based on quick count results

Indonesian presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo prepares to cast his ballot in Jakarta July 9, 2014. The political party of Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo claimed victory on Wednesday in a closely fought presidential election in th
Indonesian presidential candidate Joko "Jokowi" Widodo prepares to cast his ballot in Jakarta July 9, 2014. The political party of Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo claimed victory on Wednesday in a closely fought presidential election in the world's third-largest democracy. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

JAKARTA - Jakarta governor Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, has declared victory in Indonesia's presidential election based on quick count results.

A quick count of votes by several pollsters on Wednesday gave him a clear five percentage point-lead over his rival Prabowo Subianto.

Mr Joko and his running mate Jusuf Kalla got just below 53 per cent of votes against Mr Prabowo and his running mate Hatta Rajasa's count of over 47 per cent, according to credible pollsters Saiful Mujani, Indikator Politik Indonesia and Cyrus Network.

These figures are based on over 90 per cent of a representative sample of votes from 2,000 polling stations across the country, weighted by province and population, a method that has been historically accurate in previous elections.

Former president Megawati Sukarnoputri, chairman of Mr Joko's Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), congratulated "the next president of Indonesia" at a press conference some 90 minutes after polls closed.

"This is a monumental phenomenon," she said of the win.

Mr Joko's win comes after a bruising month-long campaign that saw his lead over his opponent shrink to between 3 and 7 percentage points in recent weeks, and as observers said the election was too close to call.

Mr Joko thanked all volunteers and members of his coalition for the win, and is expected to give a longer speech on Wednesday afternoon at the site where Indonesia's founders proclaimed the country's independence.

zakirh@sph.com.sg

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