Jakarta - Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was far ahead of both rivals in his quest for another five-year term in Wednesday's Indonesian presidential election, according to projections by pollsters. An exit poll and quick counts of early voting conducted by three survey institutions all showed Yudhoyono leading with more than 50 per cent of the vote.
The Indonesian Survey Institute put Yudhoyono's lead at 56.2 per cent, minutes before polls were closed at 2 pm (0700 GMT).
Yudhoyono's rivals, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and vice president Jusuf Kalla, had 23.6 and 20.2 respectively.
Pre-election polls suggested Yudhoyono would win a clear majority of the vote and avoid a runoff.
A candidate is required to win more than 50 per cent of the votes and at least 20 per cent of the vote in half the country's 33 provinces to win without a second-round vote.
The official final tally will not be unavailable until July 25, according to the Elections Commission.
