Jakarta’s Christian governor on Wednesday lost heavily to a Muslim former government minister in an election run-off, private polls indicated, after a divisive battle that has damaged Indonesia’s reputation as a bastion of tolerant Islam. Anies Baswedan, who was accused of pandering to hardliners to win votes, and his supporters cheered as news came through that surveys showed him winning by over 10 percentage points against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who was fighting for his job while standing trial for blasphemy.

Official results are not expected until early May but the private pollsters, who count a sample of votes, are usually accurate. The vote was seen as a test of whether the moderate Islam traditionally practised in the world’s most populous Muslim country is under threat from hardliners, who have led a series of mass demonstrations against Purnama over allegations he insulted the Koran.

It came against a backdrop of rising religious intolerance that has tainted the image of the diverse Indonesian archipelago as a pluralistic country in recent years, with a surge in attacks on minorities. Baswedan, a former education minister, thanked Jakarta’s voters for supporting him and hinted that he would move to heal the divisions in the capital after the bitter poll, if his victory was confirmed.

“We celebrate diversity… We are all ready to work together again,” the 47-year-old said. Purnama, the city’s first non-Muslim governor for half a century and its first ethnic Chinese leader, congratulated Baswedan and his running mate, adding: “We are all the same, we want a good Jakarta, because it is our home.”

The defeat is also a blow for President Joko Widodo, whose party had backed Purnama. The incumbent had long been a shoo-in to win re-election after gaining popularity due to his determined efforts to clean up Jakarta. But the governor — known by his nickname Ahok — lost a once-unassailable lead after a controversy erupted last year over claims that he had insulted Islam, a grave charge in Indonesia.

His troubles began in September when he lightheartedly said in a speech that his rivals were tricking people into voting against him by using a Koranic verse, which some interpret as meaning Muslims should only choose Muslim leaders.

The allegations drew hundreds of thousands of conservative Muslims onto the streets of Jakarta in major protests, and led to Purnama being put on trial for blasphemy in a case critics see as politically motivated.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>Millions of Indonesians have been going to the polls in the capital Jakarta to pick a governor in a runoff between a Muslim candidate and the incumbent Christian governor, who is being prosecuted for allegations of blasphemy.

Polls opened at 7:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) and will close at 1:00 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Wednesday.

Jakarta’s 7.1 million eligible voters are casting their ballots in more than 13,000 polling stations, which are being secured by thousands of police forces.

Jakarta’s Christian Governor Basuki Purnama Tjahaja, known as Ahok, who is running for another term, is facing blasphemy charges for having recited a verse from the Quran to accuse his opponents of using the holy book to turn voters against him in November 2016.

The move angered Muslims and brought hundreds of thousands of protesters to the streets of Jakarta repeated times. Purnama has denied an intention to insult Muslims.

He came in first with almost 43 percent of the vote in the first round of the election on February 15, just ahead of former Education and Culture Minister Anies Baswedan, who, like 85 percent of Jakarta’s residents, is a Muslim. But the incumbent did not secure enough votes for an outright win.

According to polls, the runoff, too, is expected to be a tight race.

Purnama, who is backed by President Joko Widodo’s ruling party, cast his vote with his family in North Jakarta. There, he said, “The military and the police have guaranteed safety, so don’t be afraid.”

Police had said it would deploy 66,000 personnel in the city.

A Muslim coalition group also said it would be deploying monitors at each polling station across Jakarta.

Tensions are high in the capital of the world’s largest Muslim-populated country, with both sides raising concerns about voter fraud.

Meanwhile, prosecutors will on Thursday make their sentencing demand in Purnama’s trial for blasphemy, which is considered a criminal offense in the country.

If convicted, he would face five years in prison.</s>Jakarta election set to go ahead amid high tension as religion enters political sphere

Updated

Weaving your way through the small alleyways of the Tambora slum in West Jakarta is quite the experience.

Key points: 7 million Jakartans to cast ballot in election for Governor

Fought heavily on religious grounds — incumbent Christian Governor, on trial for blasphemy, up against Muslim

Police officer, soldier to be at polling stations so voters can vote freely, without intimidation

It is dark, damp and full of life.

At every turn comes a new sight, a new smell, a new sound.

The slum is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with an incredible 260,000 people living within 5 square kilometres. There are no high rise buildings in sight.

"The people here have been living in the area for generations," local man Hasbuna told the ABC.

"They're all comfortable living here."

Local woman Risma has called the slum home for 20 years.

"I don't really have a problem living here," she said as she pokes her head out of a small darkened room.

"It is a comfortable place to live. Even though we are living in a densely populated area, we are comfortable, we have a high tolerance here."

Bitter fight for Jakarta's top job

On Wednesday the residents of Tambora will be among the more than 7 million Jakartans eligible to cast a ballot in the election for Governor.

"What the current government is lacking at the moment is that they don't pay enough attention to the small people," Risma said.

"They should pay more attention to the little people, our education, our health."

The poll is the second round of voting in a bitterly fought campaign for Jakarta's top job — a position that is seen as a stepping stone to the presidency.

The incumbent Christian Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or "Ahok", who is been on trial for blasphemy throughout the campaign, will come up against a Muslim and a former education minister, Anies Baswedan.

Agus Yudhyono, the son of the former president Susilo Bambang Yudhyono, was knocked out in the first round of voting in February.

"It seems the gap between the two is narrowing," political analyst Djayadi Hanan said of Ahok and Anies during an interview with the ABC.

"I think the difference between the two is about 2 per cent, even less so it would be too close to call."

On the weekend, a survey by polling firm Indikator, found Ahok surging to 47 per cent compared to 48 per cent for Anies Baswedan with the remainder undecided.

Religion at centre of political battle

This election has been undeniably fought heavily on religious grounds.

Being a Christian and ethnic Chinese, Ahok is from a double minority. Ultra conservative Islamic groups that led mass protests against him last year argue the Koran states that Muslims cannot vote for non-Muslim leaders.

Islamic cleric Ahmad Ishomuddin is one of the few Muslim figureheads who has spoken out against the blasphemy charges against Ahok.

He appeared during the trial in the North Jakarta District Court to argue the Governor had not intentionally insulted Islam when he referenced the Koran during the campaign.

He has since received death threats.

"They want to behead me, they want to kill me," he said.

"These people want to unite everyone within an Islamic state, they want a state based on Sharia law.

"Their main aim is to disintegrate this country, to cause chaos."

Unrest unavoidable, says Hanan

Ahmad Ishomuddin was suspended from his position with the powerful clerical body the Ulema Council (MUI) after speaking out.

Ahok faces up to five years in prison if found guilty and on Thursday the prosecutors will outline their sentencing demand before the court.

Dr Hanan said it was hard to predict what would unfold after the poll, but further unrest was unavoidable.

"If Ahok wins and is not in jail there will be the highest potential for instability," Dr Hanan said.

"If Ahok loses and isn't jailed there is still a potential for instability but it is not that high.

"If Ahok wins and he is in jail the potential for instability is also still there."

Another scenario is that Ahok loses the poll and is jailed, leading to a possibility of protests led by his supporters.

Tight security at polling stations

Security will be tight across the capital as Jakartans head to the polls, with one police officer and one solider stationed at each of the 13,000 polling stations to ensure voters can vote freely without intimidation.

Jakarta police succeeded in having the Governor's blasphemy trial delayed until after Wednesday's election amid fears it could heighten tensions. A verdict is likely to come in late May.

Ahok is liked in part for his anti-corruption stance and measures he has taken to improve infrastructure in the chaotic Indonesian capital.

Along with his predecessor and now President Joko Widodo, he has dismantled 12 slums across the city and relocated residents into high rise buildings.

But for the residents of the Tambora slum, the fear of being moved from their homes is the reason they will not vote for him.

"They're all comfortable living here," Hasbanu said of his fellow slum dwellers.

"Even though they're living like this."

Topics: world-politics, government-and-politics, islam, christianity, religion-and-beliefs, indonesia, asia

First posted</s>Metrotvnews.com, Jakarta: The Jakarta Metro Police chief Inspector General Mochamad Iriawan has confirmed that the Jakarta runoff election run smoothly.



 The election was held on Wednesday morning. It was competed by incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and former education minister Anies Rasyid Baswedan.

The polling stations were opened from 07.00-13.00 local time. They were guarded by police, military and Satpol PP officers."The situation was conducive," Iriawan said.The offficial result will be announced early May. The winner will be inaugurated at the end of the year.(WAH)</s>A former Indonesian education minister took a big lead on Wednesday in the Jakarta’s governor’s race after a polarising campaign that cast a shadow over Indonesia’s reputation for practicing a tolerant form of Islam.

[JAKARTA] A former Indonesian education minister took a big lead on Wednesday in the Jakarta’s governor’s race after a polarising campaign that cast a shadow over Indonesia’s reputation for practicing a tolerant form of Islam.

Anies Baswedan was ahead with 57 per cent of the votes versus 43 per cent for Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as “Ahok”, based on a quick sample count of over half the vote by Indikator Politik.

The national elections commission will announce official results in early May.

Mr Baswedan’s big lead was surprising since opinion polls in the run-up to the election had pointed to a dead-heat. Mr Purnama won the first round of voting for governor in February in a three-way race.

Given Jakarta's outsized importance as both the nation's capital and commercial centre, the election could be a barometer for the 2019 presidential election.

Mr Purnama is backed by President Joko Widodo's ruling party. Mr Baswedan, is backed by a conservative retired general, Prabowo Subianto, who lost to Widodo in a 2014 presidential vote and may challenge him again.

But the election is also viewed as a test for Indonesia's young democracy and record of religious tolerance, with both sides raising concerns about intimidation and voter fraud.

The campaign featured mass rallies led by a hardline Islamist movement, which has strengthened in recent years in a country long dominated by a moderate form of Islam.

Police said 15 people were detained following reports of disturbances at several polling stations in the city of 10 million people, after what the Jakarta Post this week dubbed "the dirtiest, most polarising and most divisive" election campaign the nation had ever seen.

"Political differences should not break our unity," President Joko Widodo said in a statement after casting his ballot at a central Jakarta polling station. "We are all brothers and sisters. Whoever is elected, we must accept."

"Don't let any cheating happen, because the future of Jakarta is determined by the election today," Mr Purnama, 50, told reporters after voting with his family in North Jakarta.

His rival, Mr Baswedan, 47, said as he voted in the south of the city that the election was being closely watched at home and abroad, so it was important to avoid an atmosphere of tension.

Polls closed at 1pm (0600 GMT) with 7 million people eligible to vote. Security appeared light at several polling stations, though police said 66,000 personnel were deployed across the city.

Police in neighbouring provinces on Java island searched private cars and public buses heading for Jakarta on Tuesday to look for sharp objects and explosives.

Jakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said police had stopped and searched vehicles heading for Jakarta on Tuesday to ensure "no movement of masses toward the capital".

Religious tensions have been an undercurrent in the campaign, with Mr Purnama on trial for blasphemy over comments he made last year that many took to be insulting to Islam.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims took to the streets late last year to call for his sacking and to urge voters not to elect a non-Muslim leader. One person died and more than 100 were injured after one protest turned violent.

Police fear Islamic leaders could incite a fresh bout of unrest if Mr Purnama wins the election.

Mr Purnama faces up to five years in jail if convicted of blasphemy. His trial will resume on Thursday, when prosecutors will submit a sentence request. "We are worried things could be hotter if the results are quite close," said Isabella Hariyono, a 30-year-old voter in North Jakarta. "We hope things don't heat up. The police and military are ready but we never know."

Private pollsters, approved by the national elections commission, are expected to announce an unofficial tabulation of a sample of votes, known as "quick counts", within a few hours of polls closing. The elections commission is expected to announce official results by the first week of May.

The loser can contest the results in the Constitutional Court, which could prolong political uncertainty for weeks.

Citigroup said in an investor note that, despite the potential for renewed protests if Mr Purnama won, it was maintaining a Jakarta stock index target of 6,150 by the end of 2017, representing an 8 per cent upside. "As long as there are no security issues, the election outcome should not significantly stall the reform programme of the national government, in our view," it said.</s>Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama arrives for his court hearing in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, April 20, 2017. — Reuters pic

JAKARTA, April 20 — Indonesian prosecutors called today for Jakarta’s Christian governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, to be jailed for one-year on blasphemy charges, in a trial that is seen as a test of the Muslim-majority nation’s religious tolerance.

Purnama, 50, is heading for defeat in his bid to remain governor in this week’s election against Muslim opponent Anies Baswedan after a bitterly fought campaign that saw hundreds of thousands of Muslims protest against the incumbent for allegedly insulting Islam.

Purnama has denied the blasphemy charges and a verdict is expected in coming weeks. — Reuters</s>Former Indonesian education minister Anies Baswedan (centre) holds the hand of Gerindra party chief Prabowo Subianto (right) as Baswedan running mate Sandiaga Uno (left) talks to reporters after voting in the Jakarta governor election in Jakarta, IndonesiJAKARTA, April 19 — A former Indonesian education minister won the race for Jakarta governor today after a polarising campaign that cast a shadow over Indonesia’s reputation for practicing a tolerant form of Islam.

Anies Baswedan won with 58 per cent of the votes versus 42 per cent for Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known by his Chinese nickname as “Ahok”, based on 100 per cent of the votes in an unofficial “quick count” by Indikator Politik. Other pollsters showed similar results with 99 per cent counted.

The national elections commission will announce official results in early May.

The turbulent campaign featured mass rallies led by a hardline Islamist movement, which has strengthened in recent years in a country long dominated by a moderate form of Islam. More than 80 per cent of Indonesia’s population professes Islam.

“Going forward, the politics of religion is going to be a potent force,” said Keith Loveard, an analyst at Jakarta-based Concord Consulting and an author of books about Indonesian politics.

Baswedan’s huge margin of victory was surprising since opinion polls in the run-up to the election had pointed to a dead-heat. Purnama won the first round of voting for governor in February in a three-way race.

Indonesian social media users likened the election outcome to the shock results of the U.S. presidential vote and the Brexit vote of last year.

One Twitter user, @fuadhn, said Indonesians “can feel what US and British citizens feel now. Welcome populism...”

The election came on the eve of a visit by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, as the Trump administration seeks to engage the world’s fourth-largest nation and largest Muslim-majority country as an emerging regional power.

Pence is scheduled on Thursday to visit the biggest mosque in Southeast Asia, Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque.

The Jakarta election will be seen as a barometer for the 2019 presidential election, given the city’s outsized importance as both the nation’s capital and commercial centre.

Purnama is backed by President Joko Widodo’s ruling party. Baswedan is supported by a retired general, Prabowo Subianto, who narrowly lost to Widodo in a 2014 presidential vote and is expected to challenge him again.

Police said 15 people were detained following reports of disturbances at several polling stations in the city of 10 million people, after what the Jakarta Post this week dubbed “the dirtiest, most polarising and most divisive” election campaign the nation had ever seen.

Security appeared light at several polling stations, though police said 66,000 personnel were deployed across the city.

Religious tensions have been an undercurrent in the campaign, with Purnama on trial for blasphemy over comments he made last year that many took to be insulting to Islam.

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims took to the streets late last year to call for his sacking and to urge voters not to elect a non-Muslim leader. One person died and more than 100 were injured after one protest turned violent.

Some voters may have been reluctant to vote for Purnama because of worries about “five more years of protests on the streets by Muslim hardliners,” Loveard said in a telephone interview.

Baswedan, a respected scholar who many viewed as moderate, drew widespread criticism during the campaign when he aggressively courted the conservative Islamic vote, appearing publicly with hardline Islamic leaders during anti-Purnama rallies.

Baswedan, surrounded by his political patrons including Prabowo, struck a reconciliatory tone at a news conference after unofficial results came in, pledging to “safeguard diversity and unity”.

His platform has focused on improving public education, providing no-deposit home loans for low income groups and opposing a giant seawall in Jakarta Bay that Purnama has advocated. Baswedan has denied he plans to implement Islamic sharia law in Jakarta if elected.

Baswedan will officially take over as governor in October.

“We still have six months (in office) until the new governor is inaugurated and we will finish up our homework,” Purnama said. “We hope that in the future everyone can forget the campaign period.”

Purnama faces up to five years in jail if convicted of blasphemy. His trial will resume tomorrow, when prosecutors will submit a sentence request.

Citigroup said in an investor note that, despite the potential for renewed protests if Purnama won, it was maintaining a Jakarta stock index target of 6,150 by the end of 2017, representing an 8 per cent upside.

“As long as there are no security issues, the election outcome should not significantly stall the reform programme of the national government, in our view,” it said.

The Indonesian rupiah weakened slightly after unofficial results were announced. The 7-day rupiah non-deliverable forward traded 0.37 per cent weaker against the dollar by 0457 GMT. The 3-month NDF traded 0.24 per cent lower in Asian markets. — Reuters</s>JAKARTA: Indonesian prosecutors called on Thursday (Apr 20) for Jakarta's Christian governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, to be jailed for one year on blasphemy charges, in a trial that is seen as a test of the Muslim-majority nation's religious tolerance.

Purnama, 50, is heading for defeat in his bid to remain governor in this week's election against his Muslim opponent Anies Baswedan, unofficial counts showed. The religiously charged campaign saw mass Islamist protests against the incumbent for allegedly insulting Islam.

"We call for the judge to sentence the defendant to one year in prison. ..for expressing hate or insult toward a section of the Indonesian people," said chief prosecutor Ali Mukartono.

"We also call for an added two years probation period," he said, meaning that if Purnama were to repeat the offence within two years, he would go to prison.

The trial centers on comments that Purnama made last year about his opponents' use of the Islamic holy book in political campaigning. Many Muslim groups, especially hardline Islamists, took offence to the comments and called for Purnama to be sacked and jailed.

On Thursday, members of hardline groups, which led hundreds of thousands of Muslims to protest against Purnama during the election campaign, reacted angrily to the prosecutor's call.

Hundreds of members of the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) rallied outside the court, chanting "not enough" after the prosecution made their request.

Purnama, Jakarta's first ethnic Chinese and Christian leader, has denied the blasphemy charges and a verdict is expected in the coming weeks.

Rights activists have raised concerns about blasphemy laws being used to harass Indonesia's minorities, even though religious diversity is enshrined in the constitution.

Nearly all blasphemy cases in recent years have resulted in convictions.

Purnama has six months left in office, when his successor is expected to be sworn in as the new governor.</s>JAKARTA: Polls opened on Wednesday (Apr 19) in Jakarta's election run-off with the Christian governor fighting for his job despite standing trial for blasphemy, in a vote that has stoked religious tensions in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is facing a Muslim challenger, heavyweight ex-minister Anies Baswedan, in a neck-and-neck race to lead the teeming capital of over 10 million people.

Purnama, the city's first non-Muslim governor for half a century and its first ethnic Chinese leader, won in the first round in February but not by a big enough margin to avoid a run-off.

The race was already significant as politicians see the job as a stepping stone to the presidency at 2019 polls, but the stakes were raised dramatically by a controversy over claims that Purnama insulted the Quran.

The allegations drew hundreds of thousands of conservative Muslims onto the streets of Jakarta in major protests last year, and led to Purnama - known by his nickname Ahok - being put on trial for blasphemy in a case critics see as politically motivated.

Purnama, 50, has seen a once-unassailable poll lead shrink, and the vote has become a test of whether the traditional, tolerant brand of Islam in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country is under threat from the rising influence of hardliners.

"This is Indonesian pluralist Islam versus a new type of political Islam that is pushed by hardline Islamists," Tobias Basuki, a Jakarta-based political analyst at think-tank the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP.

Polls opened at 7:00 am (0000 GMT) and will close at 1:00 pm, with over 7.2 million people registered to vote. Over 60,000 security forces have been deployed.

Early vote tallies from private pollsters due to be released in the afternoon should give an indication of how the candidates have performed although official results will not be announced until early May.

Despite Purnama's first-round victory, former education minister Baswedan, 47, was initially seen as the favourite in the run-off because the votes from a third, Muslim candidate who was knocked out were expected to go to him.

But with tension over the governor's alleged blasphemy subsiding in recent weeks, Purnama has regained momentum. Recent polls show the two candidates almost neck and neck, although most put Baswedan ahead by a wafer-thin margin.

Purnama's troubles began in September when he lightheartedly said in a speech that his rivals were tricking people into voting against him using a Koranic verse, which some interpret as meaning Muslims should only choose Muslim leaders.

If Purnama - who won popularity for his determined efforts to clean up Jakarta - does win the vote and is then convicted of blasphemy, he would not automatically be barred from holding office and could avoid jail for a long time by filing successive appeals.</s>Metrotvnews.com, Jakarta: President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo believes the Jakarta gubernatorial election runoff will run peacefully.



 "Political differences should not affect unity," Jokowi said on Wednesday.

Around 7,2 million people are eligible to vote.

The election is competed between incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama and former education minister Anies Rasyid Baswedan.Around 13 thousand polling stations are prepared for the election.The polling stations will be closed at 01.00 PM local time . The unofficial quick counts will be released several hours later.(WAH)
Indonesian voters in Jakarta return to the polls for the second round of a gubernatorial election between incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, whose alleged blasphemy sparked mass protests in November, and Anies Baswedan. Opinion polls give Baswedan a narrow lead.