Joko with exit poll lead

Early tallies released by polling agencies on Wednesday gave Jakarta governor Joko Widodo around 53 percent of the vote, while former general Prabowo Subianto trailed with 47 percent.

The pollsters based their figures on exit surveys conducted at ballot stations. Official results are due in about two weeks.

The head of Joko Widodo's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), Megawati Sukarnoputri, claimed victory, citing what she called the "quick count."

But, a senior official of Subianto's Gerindra party, Fadli Zon, said it was "too early" to predict the outcome. "Several TV stations have different results," he said.

Analysts described this year's presidential campaign in Indonesia as the country's most bitterly-fought since the downfall of dictator Suharto in 1998.

Change of direction

While some voters perceive Joko Widodo as a politician who could usher in a new style of leadership, as he has no links to the country's troubled political past, they fear that Prabowo Subianto might do the opposite and push them back toward authoritarian rule.

Subianto, who was also the son-in-law of the late Indonesian dictator Suharto has vowed to give the country firm leadership.

A coalition of six parties with nearly 60 percent control of parliament is backing the ex-general.

Indonesia has an ethnically and religiously diverse population. Over 87 percent of the nation's 253.6 million inhabitants are Muslim, while Christians make up roughly 10 percent of the population. The remaining 3 percent are Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian.

Outgoing president barred

Outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's ruling Democratic Party, which said it was neutral earlier in the campaign, had openly endorsed Subianto just two weeks before the election.

Yudhoyono is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term after 10 years in office.

After voting Wednesday, he called on both sides to respect the results.

mz/ipj (AFP, Reuters, dpa)