Indonesian presidential hopeful Prabowo greeted by crowds after Friday prayers
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JAKARTA - Presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto was greeted by more than a thousand supporters chanting his name and calling him president, when he returned to his home in South Jakarta after noon prayers on Friday (April 19).
The crowd was there for an event organised by Mr Prabowo's supporters to mark the end of a peaceful general elections that took place on Wednesday.
Mr Prabowo, who has always been closely aligned to several Islamist groups, will be speaking shortly after arriving from the Al Azhar mosque where he had performed his Friday prayers.
A poster near the stage where he is set to address the crowd from read "Congratulations on the victory of Prabowo-Sandi as elected President-Vice President for 2019-2024 period. Don't trust quick counts".
Sandi refers to Mr Prabowo's running-mate Sandiaga Uno. Both men were contesting against incumbent President Joko Widodo and vice presidential candidate Dr Ma'ruf Amin for the presidency.
Early quick counts have placed Mr Joko on course for re-election, but Mr Prabowo has disputed the unofficial results and claimed repeatedly that he is the victor.
Security in Jakarta is high due to concerns of unrest, with several troops of military and police personnel on stand-by near the scene of the event.
