Indonesia’s Joko Widodo wins second term as president, as elections commission releases final tally early amid fears of unrest
- Widodo and running mate Ma’ruf Amin won by 55.5 per cent to 44.5 per cent margin over Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno
- Commission was expected to announce official results on Wednesday but released them a day early, with little advance notice
Indonesian police and troops were on high alert on Tuesday amid fears of civil unrest in the capital, as the surprise early announcement of election results handed Joko Widodo another term as leader.
In an announcement made a day early, the election commission said Widodo received a 55.5 per cent share of votes, compared with 44.5 per cent for his rival Prabowo Subianto, who refused to concede.
Prabowo, a 67-year-old former general, vowed to take his claims of widespread cheating to the constitutional court as several thousand supporters rallied in Jakarta to protest Widodo’s win.
The results came as a former military commander of Indonesia’s elite special forces was detained for alleged illegal smuggling of weapons, according to police.
“[Major-General Soenarko] is being investigated for violating the Emergency Law of Republic of Indonesia No 12 1951 section 1 (1),” said police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo, referring to a law that deals with the smuggling of weapons, ammunition and explosives into Indonesia.