Indonesia’s then presidential candidate Joko Widodo (left) shakes hands with his opponent Prabowo Subianto after the second debate between presidential candidates ahead of the general election in Jakarta. — Reuters file photo
JAKARTA: Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday said he rejected the result of the presidential race announced by the country’s electoral commission earlier in the day, and will challenge the result in the Constitutional Court, reported Xinhua news agency.
Former army general Prabowo said his rejection was made on the ground that the counting of the votes was fraudulent.
“We rejected all the results of the vote counting in the presidential race announced earlier today (Tuesday),” Prabowo told a press conference.
Indonesian electoral commission announced on Tuesday morning that President Joko Widodo won the election.
“We will not accept the results counted by the electoral commission as long they were made based on cheated sources,” he said.
The official results confirmed unofficial quick-count results made by pollsters after the voting on April 17.
The final results showed Widodo securing 55.5 percent of the votes, while Prabowo got 44.5 percent.
Tuesday’s announcement was made a day earlier than scheduled. Terrorists’ planned attacks during May 22 was likely part of the reason, which was signified by a warning issued by police after dozens of arrests of alleged terrorists ahead of the poll result day. – Bernama