Indonesians Flock to Polling Station to Decide New President-VP

Bogor, W Java (Antara) - Indonesians have flocked to polling stations across the country to cast their votes for the presidential election on Wednesday that started at 07.00 am. At polling station number 02 of Bojong Koneng, West Java Province, tens of eligible voters queued for registration at the polling station number 02 committee's table before being given ballot papers. Among the voters were two women named Mimin and Uun. Mimin clutching her infant got in line at the polling station where Prabowo Subianto, the rival of Joko Widodo in this presidential election, would cast his vote. "I have been getting in the line since 7.00 am. I do not only want to cast my vote but also to see the presidential candidate Prabowo," she said. Presidential candidate Joko Widodo and his wife Iriana are reported to cast their votes at polling station number 18 in Menteng area, Central Jakarta. The enthusiasm of eligible voters was also seen in Denpasar and other parts of Bali Province. The roads of Denpasar city looked deserted. In Cemara Agung, one of 10 hamlets in Monang-Maning housing complex, Denpasar Barat Subdistrict, for instance, the local residents had come to the polling stations in the morning. Most of the voters came to the polling stations by wearing their traditional costumes and some others wore casual dresses and shirts. Head of polling station number seven in Cemara Agung hamlet I Made Djodig said there were 353 registered voters who would cast their votes from 07.30 am to 01.00 pm. According to Indonesia's KPU, a total of 190,307,134 eligible voters have been registered for the presidential election on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 (including 2,038,711 overseas voters who have previously cast their votes), with 486,866 polling stations across the archipelago. The election will be contested by two pairs: Prabowo Subianto with Hatta Rajasa as his running mate, and Jokowi who pairs with Jusuf Kalla. The winning pair will officially come to power in October 2014.(*)