Indonesians vote for Jakarta governor as religious tensions divide

Jakarta: Indonesians cast ballots on Wednesday in a bitterly fought election to govern the capital, Jakarta, that has inflamed religious tensions in the Muslim-majority nation and been tied to power struggles ahead of Presidential Elections in 2019.

The job of governor can be a springboard to the presidency and weeks of campaigning have been overshadowed by mudslinging, political intrigue, and rising hardline Islamist sentiment, raising questions about the role of religion in politics.

Indonesia has the world`s largest Muslim population but is officially secular and home to minority Christian and Hindu communities, as well as hundreds of ethnic groups.

"I do hope that there will be no more related political and religious tensions after this election," said Hanida Syafriani, a resident of East Jakarta who was supporting the Christian, ethnic Chinese incumbent, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.

Purnama, or Ahok as he is commonly known, is running against two Muslim candidates.

Purnama has been campaigning while on trial on a charge of insulting the Koran, a case that has brought Muslims onto the streets, urging voters to shun a non-Muslim as leader.

He denies the charge and his support has rebounded to lead many opinion polls, which analysts attribute to his record of improving the bureaucracy and easing congestion and flooding.

"Some of my Muslim friends do believe he blasphemed and won`t vote for a non-Muslim, the case has created differences among us," said Deny S. Pamudji, 57, an ethnic Chinese voter, who spoke outside a polling station just before Purnama cast his ballot.

Purnama`s rivals are Agus Yudhoyono, a son of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and former education minister Anies Baswedan.

Purnama was a deputy to President Joko Widodo when he was the previous Jakarta governor and Widodo`s party is backing him.

Baswedan is backed by a former general who Widodo beat in the last presidential election in 2014, Prabowo Subianto, who is promising a comeback to the national stage.

Indra Pramono, 40, a Jakarta resident who was voting for Baswedan hoped the election could be wrapped up in one round.

"Ahok did good actually, but I`m voting for someone with the same faith as me. That`s the main reason.”

The Jakarta vote is being widely seen as a proxy battle for the next presidential election, due in 2019.

The competition has been particularly bitter between Purnama`s camp and that of Yudhoyono. Former president Yudhoyono said on Twitter on Tuesday that various figures were trying to sabotage his son`s chances.

Police are deploying 75,000 personnel across the country with 16,000 on duty in Jakarta, where concern lingers over the possibility of hardline Muslim groups taking to the streets to agitate against Purnama.

In all, 101 regional elections are being held in the world`s third-most populous democracy, for provincial, city and district chiefs.

Polling stations will close by 0600 GMT. Quick counts, expected shortly after, are tallies of votes by private polling firms at a sample of voting booths across the city.

The General Elections Commission is expected to announce official results after about two weeks.

If no candidate achieves a majority in the first round in any provincial vote, including Jakarta, a runoff is expected between the two candidates securing the most votes.