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fter months of witnessing intense campaigning, business players are welcoming the apparent results of the Jakarta gubernatorial election with open arms, wishing that a peaceful end to the race preserves the business climate not only in the capital but the nation at large.

The runoff election between incumbent Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and former minister Anies Baswedan culminated on Wednesday after quick counts from major pollsters suggested that Anies won the second round of the election, beating Ahok, a Christian politician of Chinese descent in a Muslim-majority country, by double-digit margins.

Despite growing concern over the possible emergence of sectarian conflict ahead of voting day, the race ended in a peaceful manner, with both candidates addressing their supporters in reconciliatory tones.

“We, from the business sector, see the [election] process, which was carried out in a peaceful situation without any tumult, as a positive signal for businesses as well as for foreign investors,” Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) chairman Roslan P. Roeslani told The Jakarta Post over the phone.

Roslan expressed confidence that Anies and his running mate, businessman-cum-politician Sandiaga Uno, would shrug off the sectarian agenda in their upcoming leadership despite enjoying support from conservative Muslim groups throughout their campaign.

“I’ve talked directly to both Pak Anies and Mas Sandi about hearsay that they will turn Jakarta into a sharia city,” Roslan said. “They have assured me that it won’t happen. They promised that they’ll maintain Jakarta’s diversity.”

Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Hariyadi B. Sukamdani voiced similar optimism. “There’s no concern about that [continuing sectarian issues] as the ones fueling them were the supporters, not the candidates,” he said.

Home to more than 10 million people, Jakarta serves as the country’s economic powerhouse, where around 20 percent of national economic output is derived from.

Prior to his gubernatorial nomination, Anies was several months out of a job after being dismissed in July last year from his position as culture and education minister by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. The President, known as a close friend of Ahok, never publicly explained why he removed Anies, his former presidential campaign spokesperson, from his Cabinet.

Sandiaga, meanwhile, was known as a prominent businessman before recently joining the Gerindra Party as a member on the opposition party’s patron board. He is the co-founder of publicly listed investment company PT Saratoga Investama Sedaya. He sold his shares in Saratoga early this year to reap Rp 134.7 billion (US$10.1 million) in proceeds.

After their inauguration late this year, the pair’s first job is gaining the support of the City Council, the majority members of which belong to the coalition that supported the incumbent.

In his reelection campaign, Ahok, who served as deputy governor to Jokowi until the latter won the 2014 presidential election, was endorsed by a coalition of five political parties led by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the country’s biggest political party. Altogether, the coalition controls 62 out of 106 seats on the council.

Potential investors, meanwhile, might also need some window time to learn about the new leadership before deciding whether they will pour their money into the capital.

“This is [about] a new governor. Investors will likely choose to wait and see to learn about the new administration’s policies,” Samuel Sekuritas economist Rangga Cipta said.

During his visit to the Post in January, Anies stated that building Jakarta required more than just work but also ideas and words, lamenting the fact that fewer people these days appreciated the value of ideas and dialogue.

“Words seem to be unimportant. Meanwhile, [many think] what matters is work, work, work,” Anies said.