Ex-general Prabowo Subianto claims victory in Indonesia's presidential election
Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, the current defense minister, addresses supporters at an event Wednesday in Jakarta, Indonesia.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian Defense Minister and former general Prabowo Subianto, who had been barred from entering the United States for two decades, has claimed victory in Wednesday's presidential election.
The current exit poll showed the 72-year-old former special forces commander with an absolute majority of votes, above the threshold of 50% nationwide, and 20% in half of the country's provinces, without which a runoff vote would be required.
At polling stations in Jakarta, ballots were pulled out of boxes by hand, read aloud and tallied by election workers. It is a labor-intensive task performed in a country of more than 200 million eligible voters spread across an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands.
Analysts say this week's high-stakes election in Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy, may decide whether its democracy maintains its trajectory of economic development and political reform, or slides back toward the authoritarian politics of a generation ago.
Prabowo was once banned from entering the U.S.
Election officials have not yet formally declared Prabowo the winner. But in a victory speech, Prabowo professed inclusiveness and conciliation, saying he would "protect all citizens, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or social background."Prabowo also declared an end to "strong words and hostile approach." His comments were aimed at Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, two former provincial governors who ran against him in the presidential race.
Accompanying Prabowo at the speech was his running mate, Gibran Rakabuming, mayor of Surakarta city, and the 36-year-old eldest son of incumbent President Joko Widodo.
