Indonesia votes to choose next president in world's biggest single-day election

Millions of Indonesians descended to the polling booths on Wednesday (Feb 14) to vote for the next president of the Muslim-majority nation. With polls projecting Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto in the lead, it is highly unlikely there would be a second-round run-off despite the former general receiving tepid support from outgoing leader Joko Widodo.

Nearly 259,000 candidates were in the field, contesting for 20,600 posts across the archipelago of 17,000 islands in the world's biggest single-day election. Of the 270 million people living in the country, more than 204 million hadregistered to vote.

Polling stations opened at 7 am local time (22000 GMT) in the easternmost regions of the country and closed at 1 pm (0600 GMT). The counting is expected to begin around 3 pm (0800 GMT).

According to Indonesia's General Election Commission, 81 per cent voter turnout was recorded in the 2019 elections. Experts believe that the mark will be breached during Wednesday's voting as Indonesians tend to cast their ballots religiously.

Who is in the running?

Indonesia's incumbent president, Joko Widodo, also referred to as Jokowi, has completed the allotted two terms in office - meaning he cannot gun for a third straight tenure in the office.

Having fallen short against Jokowi in 2014 and 2019, Subianto is vying for the top position a third time. His running mate, 36-year-old Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is also a controversial candidate.

"We will fight to bring prosperity for all people of Indonesia. We will continue what was already being built by previous presidents," Subianto said at a weekend campaign rally.

After two failed attempts,Subianto has rebranded himself - transforming his image from afiery-tempered nationalist and military hard man to a cuddly grandfather figure with awkward dance moves. In the process, he has cultivated a huge following amongst the youth of the country on social media.

Notably, in order to secure his presidency, Subianto needs to claim more than 50 per cent of the overall vote and at least a fifth of ballots cast in over half the country's 38 provinces to secure the presidency.

(With inputs from agencies)