Ex-general claims victory

Candidate was once banned from U.S. over rights abuses

- NINIEK KARMINI AND EDNA TARIGAN

Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto, left, waves to supporters next to running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, during a campaign rally in Jakarta Wednesday.

A former general linked to past human rights abuses claimed victory Wednesday in Indonesia's presidential election, a result that would raise questions about the commitment to democratic values in the sprawling island nation that is the world's third-largest democracy.

Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, 72, presented himself as an heir to immensely popular sitting President Joko Widodo, whose eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, was his running mate. Citing unofficial results, Subianto told thousands of supporters in the capital, Jakarta, that his victory was "the victory of all Indonesians."

There was no declaration by election officials, and the two former provincial governors who also competed in the balloting did not concede defeat.