After a presidential election fraught with controversy and vitriol, Joko Widodo, governor of Jakarta, has been elected to lead Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population.
According to the final tally released by the General Elections Commission (KPU), the governor of Jakarta and a furniture tycoon had garnered 53.15 percent of the vote, while his rival Prabowo Subianto, garnered 46.85 percent. The results were declared on July 22, despite complaints of massive fraud by Subianto, a former general from the era of dictatorial President Suharto. On July 21, Subianto withdrew from the election process, and vowed to challenge the results in the Constitutional Court.
Experts, however, believe that a gap of 6.3 percent makes it very difficult for Prabowo to contest the result with the Constitutional Court. The presidential election was billed as a contest between old politics and new politics.
Joko Widodo –- universally known as Jokowi –- will be Indonesia’s first president from outside of Jakarta’s traditional elite.
Most unofficial counts after the election revealed a slight edge for Jokowi, the popular Jakarta governor, but Subianto had also claimed victory for himself.
Fearing violence, the outgoing president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has tried to calm the situation by urging both parties to respect the people’s mandate.
In a July 20 speech, Yudhoyono called for restraint, adding, “I call on all parties and all Indonesian people to guard the election until the last stage of the election succeeds.”
Given the controversy surrounding the election, security throughout the Southeast Asian country has been tightened.
Jokowi’s life-story has appealed to many in Indonesia. Born into a poor family, he grew up in a slum on the banks of the Anyar River, where his family lived in illegally-built shacks.From this humble beginning he forced his way up the social ladder starting his own export company.
In 2005, he was elected mayor of Surakarta and rose to become Jakarta’s governor in 2012.
Jokowi will be sworn in as president no later than Oct. 20.
India enjoys robust multi-layered relations with Indonesia, a fellow founder of the Non-Aligned Movement and a key partner in the ASEAN.
The new president has quite a challenge ahead of him. He will have to bring together large and diverse segments of the population, enhance investor confidence, and increase the growth rate which has slumped in the recent years.
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