HM Sani and Soeryo Respationo early lead in the Riau Islands governor's election shattered expectations that Golkar, the Democratic Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) would continue to dominate polls after election successes in 2009.
The parties won the province's three seats in the House of Representatives (DPR) in last year's legislative elections and beat the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) at the ballot box.
However, candidate pairs from Golkar, PDI-P and PKS - Aida Ismeth and Eddy Wijaya and Nyat Kadir and Zulbahri - are now expected to lose to HM Sani and Soeryo Respationo in the elections conducted May 26 in Batam, Tanjung Pinang, Bintan, Karimun, Natuna, Anambas and Lingga regencies and mayoralties.
The Sany-Soeryo pair, which was nominated by PDI-P, Hanura, the Ulema National Awakening Party (PKNU) and the New Indonesia Party of Struggle (PPI-B), led the vote count Friday with 221,844 votes.
The Aida-Eddy pair, which was nominated by Golkar, the National Awakening Party (PKB) and several minor parties, collected 183,944 votes.
The Nyat Kadir-Zulbahri pair, which was nominated by the Democratic Party, PKS and the National Mandate Party (PAN) garnered 174,648 votes.
Quick counts conducted by the Indonesian Circle Survey (LSI) on Wednesday show the Sani-Soeryo pair received 38.05 percent of the vote, Aida-Eddy received 31.44 percent and Kadir-Zulbahri received 30.51 percent.
LSI sampled 350 polling stations which covered 66,297 voters.
The Indonesian Survey Network reported similar results.
Riau Islands Elections Commission (KPUD) member Razaki Persada told The Jakarta Post on Friday that based on election law, a candidate pair would have to collect 30 percent of votes cast plus 1 vote to win or else face a second round of polls.
Razaki said that the manual vote count was still underway and that the commission would announce final results at a special plenary session on June 7.
Sani and Soeryo's lead was beyond expectations given their party affiliations and the pair's unpopularity.
Vice Governor Sani has always been overshadowed by Governor Ismeth Abdullah in voters' minds. Sani, when he was regent of Karimun, also fared poorly in the regency's polls when he ran in the governor's election in 2005.
PDI-P failed to hold its DPR seats in 2009 legislative election. The PDI-P's three seats for Riau Islands were won by Golkar, the Democratic Party and the PKS.
Aida's unexpected good showing at the polls may be due to a graft case that implicates her husband, Governor Ismeth.
Ismeth is currently being held by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta on allegations of graft in the procurement of fire vehicles when he was chairman of Batam Special Authority.
He returned to Kaca Puri on election day but failed to vote at his polling station in Tanjung Pinang due to a flight delay.
Ismeth, who was escorted to Riau by KPK officers, met several journalists at the VIP lounge at the Hang Nadim Airport in Batam.
Ismeth told the media that he would support the winner of the governor's race, whoever that may be.
