Jakarta voters head to the polls on Wednesday to elect a governor for Indonesia’s capital after a campaign that incited political and religious tensions in the world’s most populous Muslim country. The race to lead the city of more than 10 million has been fought by two candidates – an ethnic Chinese Christian and a Muslim. It has triggered mass protests and stirred religious and political tensions in the world’s third largest democracy.
… The April 19 election is a runoff between the two most popular candidates in the first round of polling held on Feb. 15. In the first round, Purnama received 43 per cent of the vote and Baswedan 40 per cent. A third candidate, Agus Yudhoyono, dropped out of the race after receiving only 17 per cent of the vote. A candidate needs a simple majority to win.
Private pollsters approved by the General Elections Commission will conduct quick counts of a sample of votes after polls close on April 19, giving an indication of the winner.
Official results are expected to be announced by the elections commission by May 5-6.
Full Article: Factbox: Indonesia’s capital to vote amid religious tensions | Reuters.