The former general defeated in Indonesia’s presidential election will challenge the results in the country’s highest court, his campaign team spokesman said.
Jakarta Gov. Joko Widodo was declared the winner late Tuesday after getting 53 percent of the popular vote in the July 9 election. Former Gen. Prabowo Subianto, who got 47 percent, withdrew shortly before the result was announced, alleging massive fraud.
Campaign spokesman Tantowi Yahya told foreign reporters that Subianto is contesting the voting procedure and his lawyers are preparing to file paperwork with the Constitutional Court, a move that may prolong the political uncertainty in Indonesia’s transition to democracy.
Subianto, who has declared assets of $140 million and was on his third bid for the presidency, repeatedly claimed that polling firms with links to his campaign showed he was ahead.
“We reject the 2014 presidential election, which is illegitimate, and therefore we withdraw from the ongoing process,” he said Tuesday.
Observers of the election said they were generally fair and free, with minimal abnormalities.
