Indonesia presidential runner-up alleges widespread fraud as he contests official election results

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — A runner-up in Indonesia’s presidential election filed a complaint with the Constitutional Court on Thursday, alleging widespread irregularities and fraud at the polls.

Former Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan, who received nearly 41 million votes, or 24.9%, told reporters that by contesting the official results he hoped to improve the election process in Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy.

His lawyer said they hoped for a revote.

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“We want to emphasize that what we have experienced and witnessed — and what the media and public have seen — is that there were many problems in this election process, from its policy and regulations to its execution,” Baswedan said.

The election winner, Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, received more than 96 million votes, or 58.6%, in the Feb. 14 polls, according to final results released by the Election Commission late Wednesday. Subianto was accused of human rights abuses under a past dictatorship and chose the son of the popular outgoing president as his running mate.

A third candidate, former Central Java Gov. Ganjar Pranowo, received 27 million votes, or 16.5%, the commission said. It posted results from polling stations on its website to allow for independent verification.

Baswedan’s lawyers and members of his campaign team were shown in television news reports on Thursday filing the challenge at the court, with a large number of documents they said showed evidence of