Indonesia elections: World's largest Muslim democracy goes to the polls
An unofficial count at the half way stage puts incumbent Joko Widodo聽13 percentage points ahead.
Wednesday 17 April 2019 11:36, UK
Polls have closed in Indonesia with the world's largest Muslim democracy electing a president, a parliament and local authorities.
Some 192 million people were eligible to vote in the elections, with 800,000 polling stations across the archipelago's 18,000 islands.
The incumbent president Joko Widodo voted earlier and said he was optimistic about the results.
The former furniture salesman is the first president from outside the Jakarta elite.
Just over 20 years ago, the fall of Suharto brought about the end of decades of dictatorship, the darkest days of which saw ruthless crackdowns on opponents of those in power.
Mr Widodo's challenger is Prabowo Subianto, a special forces general during the era of Suharto's military dictatorship.
An unofficial count at the half way stage put Mr Widodo and his running mate, conservative cleric Ma'ruf Amin, 13 percentage points ahead.
At stake is the future direction of a country that is growing rapidly and is becoming an increasingly important economic power in the region.
Some investors are worried that the appeal for votes amid the growing influence of conservative Islam will translate into populist policy.
Mr Widodo, a moderate Muslim from Java, picked Islamic cleric Mr Amin as his vice president nominee, after a smear campaign and hoax stories accused him of being anti-Islam, a communist or too close to China, all politically damaging in Indonesia.
Mr Prabowo has links to some hardline Islamist groups and his running mate is business entrepreneur Sandiaga Uno.
The opposition has also claimed to have uncovered data irregularities affecting millions on the electoral rolls and has vowed to take legal action or use "people power" if its complaints are not resolved.
Monitors from 33 countries have been invited to observe to make sure the election is fair and carried out according to the rules.
Many of the thousands of volunteers taking part in the process dressed up to mark the festive nature of the occasion, in a celebration of the opportunity to vote.
Voters were allowed to cast their votes for an eight-hour period across a country that stretches more than 3,000 miles (5,000km) and three time zones from its western to eastern tips, underscoring the Herculean logistical task.