Advertisement

KPU: Joko Widodo re-elected as Indonesia's president

By Darryl Coote
 Indonesia's incumbent President from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Joko Widodo (C-L) and his running mate Ma'ruf Amin (C-R) pose for photographs shortly after the announcement of the election results at a slum area in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo by Mast Irham/EPA-EFE
 Indonesia's incumbent President from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Joko Widodo (C-L) and his running mate Ma'ruf Amin (C-R) pose for photographs shortly after the announcement of the election results at a slum area in Jakarta, Indonesia. Photo by Mast Irham/EPA-EFE

May 21 (UPI) -- Following a month of counting votes, Indonesia's General Elections Commission announced Tuesday that incumbent Joko Widodo had secured a second term as president.

The elections commission, also known as the KPU, completed tallying the 154.26 million valid ballots from the April 17 presidential election early Tuesday morning and announced that Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle candidate Widodo, 57, and his running mate Ma'ruf Amin, had won 21 of the 34 provinces with 55.5 percent or 85.6 million votes, The Jakarta Post reported.

Advertisement

His challenger, Prabowo Subianto, 67, of the Great Indonesia Movement Pary, received 44.5 percent, or 68.6 million votes, in taking 13 provinces, KPU commissioner Novida Ginting Manik said in a surprise announcement of the election results.

The Subianto camp, however, said Tuesday that it does not accept the election results due to alleged vote-rigging and plans to make a complaint with the Constitutional Court, The Jakarta Globe reported.

"We reject the final presidential vote tally by the KPU," Subianto said in a video in which he appears sitting crossed legged behind a table with members of his campaign team. "And we'll take all available legal avenues supported by the Constitution."

Advertisement

Subianto said the KPU's tally contained irregularities and called foul that the commission jumped the gun in announcing the result on Tuesday instead of Wednesday as it was scheduled to.

"This is not a matter of winning or losing. It's not the problem of one individual, but a very fundamental problem -- the sovereignty of the people," the retired military general said. "People's rights are being robbed. Their rights are being raped."

He called for supporters to continue with protests scheduled for Wednesday.

The KPU said the losing candidate has until Friday to submit a lawsuit. If no lawsuit is submitted that day, it will officially name Widodo as president.

Latest Headlines