Biden sent the congratulatory message through US Ambassador to ASEAN Yohannes Abraham, who personally delivered a handwritten letter to Prabowo during a meeting in Jakarta on Thursday.

"I want to extend my congratulations to the people of Indonesia on a successful election...and to you for your lead in the presidential vote count," Biden wrote in the letter, which he signed on March 12. 

In the letter, Biden also praised Prabowo for his role in bringing the the US and Indonesia closer together.

"For 75 years, Indonesia and the United States have grown closer – bound by our shared values and democratic, pluralistic vision of the world. Together, we have also safeguarded international stability... Your partnership as Indonesia's Minister of Defense has been critical in these efforts," Biden wrote.

In response to the congratulatory message, Prabowo said that he was "deeply honored" and that he "remained committed to strengthening the historical bond between our two countries through further cooperation."

Based on the manual vote count conducted by the General Elections Commission (KPU), Prabowo is in the lead with around 58 percent of the vote. The KPU is expected to announce official results by March 20 and, if confirmed, the new president and vice president will take office in October. 

Popular

PDI-P will likely be part of opposition: Ganjar

Indonesia one step from Olympics after beating South Korea

Bahlil leads task force to boost sugar, bioethanol production in Papua