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BREAKING: Ganjar sails smoothly to second term in Central Java: Quick counts
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Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo (center), who is seeking reelection, greets supporters during a campaign event in Tegal, Central Java, on May 27. (Antara/Oky Lukmansyah)
C
entral Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo will likely lead the province for another five years as he easily beat his contender, Sudirman Said, in the gubernatorial election on Wednesday, confirming previous surveys by different pollsters.
Quick counts run by various surveyors showed that Ganjar and his running mate, Taj Yasin Maimoen, have secured almost 60 percent of votes. The result, however, is not official pending the vote count by the Central Java General Elections Commission (KPU).
The Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting (SMRC), for example, recorded that the Ganjar-Taj Yasin pair led with a convincing 58.4 percent of votes, leading Sudirman and his running mate Ida Fauziyah by 17.3 percent.
Another quick count run by Litbang Kompas showed a slightly similar result, with Ganjar-Taj Yasin securing 58.37 percent of votes, while the Sudirman-Ida pair got 41.66 percent.
Ganjar and Taj Yasin were jointly endorsed by the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the United Development Party (PPP).
Central Java is known as one of the PDI-P's strongholds. The reelection of Ganjar thus has reaffirmed the ruling party's domination over the province since 1999.
The province has the third-largest number of eligible voters, after West Java and East Java. It comprises 14.52 percent of voters in the 2014 election, while West Java holds 17.57 percent and East Java 16.29 percent.
Ganjar's victory in the province will thus determine the fate of the PDI-P, of which he is a member, in next year's legislative election, as well as President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who has been named by the PDI-P to run for his second term. (dmr)
