Jakarta Gov. Joko Widodo won 53 percent of the vote in Indonesia's presidential election, according to a final tally released Tuesday by the country's Election Commission.
Widodo, a former furniture maker who entered national politics only two years ago, received 70,997,859 votes of the nearly 133 million valid ballots cast; his rival former Gen. Prabowo Subianto, received 46.85 percent of the votes. Turnout was high — nearly 71 percent.
The figures were reported by The Associated Press.
But just before Tuesday's results were announced, Subianto said he was withdrawing from the election, calling it unfair and undemocratic.
As we told you earlier this month, Widodo, who is widely known as Jokowi, claimed victory citing early results in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
NPR's Anthony Kuhn profiled the former furniture salesman in December 2012. Here's what he said: "Jokowi built his political track record as mayor of the Javanese city of Surakarta. He won the Jakarta gubernatorial election with a populist touch and an effective social media campaign."
The AP noted at the time that Widodo is the first presidential candidate with no connection to former dictator Suharto's 1966-'98 regime.
"Widodo's appeal is that despite a lack of experience in national politics, he is seen as a man of the people who wants to advance democratic reforms and is untainted by the often corrupt military and business elite that has run Indonesia for decades," the news agency said.
By contrast, it noted, Subianto was a former Suharto-era general with "a dubious human rights record during his military career."
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