Prabowo's coalition dominate Indonesian regional elections; Jakarta the exception

JAKARTA — Candidates backed by new Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto look set to secure victories in key regional elections, with the exception of Jakarta, which analysts said should make it easier to implement his agenda and reinforce his political clout.

More than 200 million Indonesians voted on Wednesday (Nov 27) for leaders in 37 provinces, 93 cities, and 415 districts. While the official results will be announced between Nov 30 and Dec 15, independent pollsters have released their election counts.

Candidates backed by Prabowo's broad coalition, some of whom were also endorsed by former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, won most key provinces, including Central Java, West Java and East Java, according to initial results from the pollsters.

"This is a triumph for Prabowo and also Jokowi, but with Jakarta, it's a failure," Yanuar Nugroho, visiting senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told Reuters.

"The executors of all Prabowo's programs are these regional leaders," he said.

Central Java, West Java, and East Java are seen as pivotal because they are the most populous provinces, while Jakarta has national significance as the capital and, as seen with Widodo, can be a stepping stone to run for the presidency.

"The victory is important so that Prabowo's programmes could be well implemented and integrated," Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, a senior official at Prabowo's Gerindra party, told Reuters.

In Jakarta, the candidates for governor and deputy governor backed by the opposition Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) had between 49.49 per cent to 51.1 per cent of votes, pollsters said, ahead of the ticket backed by a coalition of 13 government-aligned parties and an independent pairing.

Candidates must