Opposition claims victory in race for Jakarta governor

If confirmed, result will be a blow to President Prabowo and his bid to consolidate power

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JAKARTA - The opposition party led by Indonesia's former president Megawati Soekarnoputri on Nov 27 claimed victory in the Jakarta governor's race in a blow to Indonesia's new president just a month after he took office.

Independent pollsters such as Indikator Politik Indonesia, Charta Politika and Lembaga Survei Indonesia placed Mr Pramono Anung, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle candidate, ahead of his rivals in the Jakarta race, garnering between 49 per cent and 50 per cent of the votes.

President Prabowo Subianto's favoured candidate, former West Java governor Ridwan Kamil, trailed behind, with 40 per cent of the votes.

Mr Lies Hartono, who heads Mr Pramono and his running mate Rano Karno's campaign team, cited multiple polls putting the duo above the 50 per cent needed to avoid a second-round run-off.

"Based on those results, we can declare that the Jakarta election took place in one round," he said in a news conference broadcast by Kompas TV.

Official results are expected to be announced by Dec 15 at the latest, according to the General Elections Commission regulation.

Mr Pramono and Mr Ridwan are battling for control of a metropolis that accounts for a fifth of the country's economic output.