JAKARTA: The man most likely elected Indonesia’s new president warned yesterday against tampering with ballots ahead of a final count of votes later this month.
Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, named the winner of Wednesday’s disputed election by several non-partisan pollsters who have been accurate in the past, also displayed fledgling presidential credentials at a news conference, condemning Israel’s Gaza offensive.
Both Jokowi and rival candidate, former general Prabowo Subianto, claimed victory in the election, the closest ever such contest in the world’s third biggest democracy.
The Elections Commission is to announce the official result around July 22.
“We ask everyone’s cooperation to now safeguard the election result from July 9 until the official result by (the Elections Commission)... I would to ask everyone not to taint the sincerity of Indonesian society’s aspirations in the election,” he told reporters, a clear reference to fears of tampering with the votes cast.
Prabowo has accused his opponent of jumping the gun by claiming victory before the final count.
The quick counts are conducted by private agencies approved by the Elections Commission which collate actual vote tallies as they come out of each district. The results however are unofficial.
On Wednesday night, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged both candidates to keep their supporters in check during the agonising wait for the official result.
Reuters
