Jakarta votes amid religious tension

Incumbent Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (R) casts his ballot next to his wife Veronica (C) and son Nicholas (L) at a polling station during the final-round of the Jakarta governor election in Jakarta. (AFP)

JAKARTA: Jakarta went to the polls in a tight run-off Wednesday with the Christian governor fighting for his job as he stands trial for blasphemy, in a divisive election that has stoked religious tensions in Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is facing a Muslim challenger, heavyweight ex-minister Anies Baswedan, in a neck-and-neck race to lead the teeming capital of 10 million people.
The vote is seen as a test of whether the moderate Islam traditionally practiced in the world’s most populous Muslim country is under threat from the influence of hard-liners, who have led mass demonstrations against Purnama.
Purnama, the city’s first non-Muslim governor for half a century and its first ethnic Chinese leader, won in the first round in February but not by a big enough margin to avoid a run-off.
The race was already significant as politicians see the job as a stepping stone to the presidency at 2019 polls, but the stakes were raised dramatically by a controversy sparked by claims that Purnama insulted the Qur'an.
The allegations drew hundreds of thousands of conservative Muslims onto the streets of Jakarta in major protests last year, and led to Purnama — known by his nickname Ahok — being put on trial for blasphemy in a case critics see as politically motivated.
After casting his vote, President Joko Widodo — whose party backs Purnama — urged Jakarta residents to accept the result and for the city to come together after the bitterly fought poll.
“We must not let different political choices break our unity,” he said. “Remember we are all brothers and sisters.”
Over 7.2 million people were registered to vote in the polls, which closed at 1:00 p.m. (0600 GMT).
Early vote tallies from private pollsters were expected to give an accurate indication of the winner within hours although official results won’t be released until early May.
After an anti-Purnama protest last year turned violent, authorities were taking no chances and over 60,000 security forces had been deployed.
Hard-line groups had pledged to station monitors at polling booths. Police blocked the plan, warning it could cause “intimidation,” but groups of hard-liners appeared to be outside some polling centers in defiance of the ban.
However there was no sign of unrest and police said the election had run smoothly.
Despite Purnama’s first-round victory, former education minister Baswedan, 47, was initially seen as the favorite in the run-off because the votes from a third, Muslim candidate who was knocked out were expected to go to him.
But with tension over the governor’s alleged blasphemy subsiding in recent weeks, Purnama has regained momentum and recent polls show the candidates in a dead heat.
Baswedan, an academic who was sacked from the government by Widodo, has been accused of abandoning his moderate Islamic values during the campaign by cosying up to hard-liners in a bid to win the support of Muslim voters angered by Purnama’s alleged blasphemy.
Purnama’s troubles began in September when he lightheartedly said in a speech that his rivals were tricking people into voting against him using a Qur'anic verse, which some interpret as meaning Muslims should only choose Muslim leaders.
His long-running blasphemy trial began in December, and the verdict is expected within a few weeks.
If he does win the vote and is convicted of blasphemy, he would not automatically be barred from holding office and could avoid jail for a long time by appealing.
Many voters still back Purnama due to his record leading Jakarta since 2014. He has won praise for cleaning up the city’s once-filthy rivers and creating more green spaces, although his acerbic style has upset some.
“I voted for Ahok because I’m poor and I have felt the difference — we’re being taken care of,” said Tayem, a 62-year-old housewife who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, after casting her ballot.
But some have been swayed by the blasphemy controversy.
“As a Muslim, I will choose according to my faith,” Elva Sativia, a 33-year-old housewife, told AFP.