appeared on course on Thursday for a second term, based on unofficial vote counts and despite the objections of his rival, while police vowed firm action against any rallies that could disturb security.
The counts from reputable pollsters have proved to be accurate in previous elections, though the official result will not be announced until May. With Prabowo's supporters planning to march in central Jakarta after midday prayers on Friday, national police chief Tito Karnavian warned against rallies. In 2014, Prabowo had also claimed victory on election day, before contesting the results at the Constitutional Court, which confirmed Widodo's win.
Alexander Raymond Arifianto, a political analyst at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, said Widodo's margin of victory meant the opposition did not appear to have a strong case to claim the election was stolen.