Indonesia Starts Election Tally After Dual Victory Claims

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-10/indonesia-officials-start-vote-tally-after-dual-victory-claims.html



Indonesia Starts Election Tally After Dual Victory Claims
By Neil Chatterjee, Untung Sumarwan and Brian Leonal 2014-07-10T07:40:09Z

Indonesia’s election commission began the task of tallying about 140 million votes to meet a two-week deadline to announce the winner of the country’s closest-ever presidential election after both candidates claimed victory.

The disputed outcome raised the prospect of short-term uncertainty for Asia’s fifth-largest economy and the world’s third-biggest democracy, after unofficial counts by most survey companies showed Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, 53, secured more votes than Suharto-era general Prabowo Subianto, 62.

Both candidates in their victory speeches called on supporters to guard against attempts to manipulate the tally, while outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged supporters on both sides to remain calm following the vote.

“This is the first close election in Indonesia -- this is going to be a test of the system,” said Andrew Thornley, Jakarta-based program director for elections at non-profit development organization The Asia Foundation. “Once ballot boxes go up the chain, there is a risk of fraud.”