Indonesia’s Joko Widodo takes lead in early election results

Joko Widodo looks likely to have secured a comfortable win over his rival in Indonesian elections, according to unofficial “quick counts”.

Data from six private pollsters - based on partial counts of vote samples - showed that Widodo was winning just over half of the vote and his challenger, former general Prabowo Subianto, was between 5.5 and 11.4 percentage points behind him.

“We have seen everything from the exit poll and quick count indications, but we must be patient and wait for calculations from the KPU officially,” Jokowi said on Wednesday, referring the national elections commission.

“Let us reunite as brothers and sisters of the country after this election, establish our harmony and brotherhood.”

The official results of the election – a mammoth logistical undertaking in a nation stretched across thousands of islands – are not expected for another month but the unofficial quick counts, based on samples of votes, have proved to be reliable early indicators in the past.

More than 10,000 volunteers crowd-sourced results posted at polling stations in a real-time bid to thwart attempts at fraud.

However, even before the election, the opposition alleged voter-list irregularities that it said could affect millions and vowed legal or “people power” action if its concerns were ignored.

A quick count from the survey institute Litbang Kompas, based on a sample of almost 75% of votes, placed the president, better known by his nickname “Jokowi”, and his running mate, the Islamic cleric Ma’ruf Amin, with 54.19% of the vote, and Prabowo and the former investment manager Sandiaga Uno with 45.81%.

A poll by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), based on a sample of 86% of the vote, echoed these findings, showing Jokowi and Ma’ruf ahead with 55.75%.

The election is the first time the world’s third-largest democracy has held simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections, and despite some hiccups, the process appeared to run smoothly in most areas.