Jakarta: governorship elections

Written by David Fletcher 17 Feb 2017
Jakarta: governorship elections

Even though the incumbent governor of Jakarta, ‘Ahok’ Tjahaja Purnama, a Christian, is awaiting trial for blasphemy, he is still in the running in the current elections for his post. In the first poll, on Wednesday, he was ahead, but did not have enough of a lead to take immediate victory. More than a thousand supporters flocked to the campaign headquarters of Ahok and Djarot (his running mate) to welcome the two candidates and watch the most recent quick count results. ‘We wanted to secure a one-round victory. But still, we should thank God for this result’, Ahok added. Anies Baswedan and Sandiaga Uno, their opponents, are close behind, while the third contestant has conceded defeat. This means that there will be a second round between the two remaining pairs of candidates - scheduled for 19 April.

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