Indonesia's Prabowo on course for victory in presidential election
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Transcript
00:00 With the polls closed and with 200 million people having cast their votes,
00:04 the enormous task of counting ballots is underway across Indonesia.
00:09 A logistical feat involving 800,000 polling stations across the sprawling archipelago of 17,000 islands.
00:18 My hope is to find a president who is sincere and honest,
00:23 who is willing to fight for the people of Indonesia.
00:26 As the ballots are tallied, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto appears likely to avoid a runoff,
00:32 edging out his two rivals to become the country's next president.
00:36 The 72-year-old military chief would replace the popular,
00:40 outgoing leader Joko Widodo, who has reached his two-term limit.
00:44 During the campaign, Subianto promised to continue many of Widodo's policies
00:50 and his running mate is the eldest son of the outgoing president.
00:54 Subianto served as a special forces commander during the Suwarto dictatorship a generation ago
01:00 and was dismissed from the military in 1998 over accusations he ordered the abduction of
01:06 democracy activists at the end of Suwarto's rule. They are charges that he denies.
01:12 He has since rehabilitated his image,
01:15 thanks in part to a savvy social media campaign targeting Indonesia's youth.
01:21 I'm very happy with my choice and I hope Prabowo Subianto will be president.
01:25 Aside from the presidency, some 20,000 national and regional posts are up for grabs in the election.
01:32 Initial polls show Subianto is almost assured of victory,
01:35 but the official results are not expected until March.