Thousands joined a demonstration in front of the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) headquarters on Jl. MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday afternoon, with protesters demanding that President-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo be disqualified for alleged election fraud.
The crowd finally dispersed in the evening, but then dozens tried to break into the Bawaslu building at around 10 p.m.
The crowd grew and became more violent, with police responding by firing tear gas and pushing rioters toward Tanah Abang Market, Central Jakarta, away from the election watchdog building. The riot escalated when protesters began throwing stones and Molotov cocktails and started fires on the streets.
Rioters also set fire to a police dormitory in Petamburan, Central Jakarta, at 3:30 a.m. along with a dozen cars and buses in the area.
The largest textile market in Southeast Asia, Tanah Abang Market has temporarily closed down.
Debris from the riot still litter Jl. Fachrudin and Jl. Wahid Hasyim in Central Jakarta with stones and bottles strewn around, hampering four-wheeled motorists from passing the area.
According to National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. M. Iqbal, the disturbance was premediated.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan announced on Wednesday that six people had died in the riot as of 9 a.m.[yan]