Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto wins presidency with 1st-round majority

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesia's Prabowo Subianto has been elected president of the world's third-biggest democracy, the elections commission said Wednesday, beating two rivals who have vowed to file legal complaints about the vote.

The fiery defence minister and his vice presidential running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka -- eldest son of outgoing leader Joko Widodo -- already declared victory last month after unofficial counts showed them winning a majority.

They were officially confirmed as winners Wednesday after receiving more than 96 million votes, commission chairman Hasyim Asy'ari said, roughly 58.6 percent of the total and enough to secure a first-round majority.

"This decision is effective immediately as of March 20," Asy'ari said.

Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan secured 24.9 percent of the vote, while former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo received more than 16 percent.

More than 164 million Indonesians voted, representing around an 80 percent turnout of eligible voters.

Prabowo, 72, was widely predicted to win the presidency on his third attempt. He takes over in October after a transition period.

Speaking outside his house in the capital Jakarta to thunderous applause from supporters, Prabowo thanked Indonesians and his party for helping him rise to the country's highest office.

"We are grateful to the God Almighty for the official announcement from the KPU on the results of the election," he said, referring to the elections commission.

"We would like to convey our gratitudes and the highest appreciation for all the people of Indonesia who have exercised their rights to vote."

His popularity soared because of what experts said was his nationalist verve in populist speeches, strongman credentials as defence minister and backing from Widodo, more popularly known as Jokowi.

Prabowo also offered his thanks to Jokowi, a former rival against whom he lost two election battles in 2014 and 2019.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken quickly offered "sincere congratulations" to Prabowo, saying Washington looked "forward to partnering closely" with the ex-general, who was once placed on a US visa blacklist.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said in a