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 organized by Metro TV and quick counts of early voting conducted by three survey institutions all showed Yudhoyono leading with more than 50 per cent of the vote.
His rivals, former president Megawati Sukarnoputri and current Vice President Jusuf Kalla, had 23.6 and 20.2 per cent respectively, according to the private Indonesian Survey Institute.
Pre-election polls indicated Yudhoyono, one of the former Suharto-era generals with a cleaner reputation, would win a clear majority and avoid a runoff.
The vote, the second direct presidential election in the country's history, went peacefully throughout the archipelago of 17,000 islands, observers said.
About 240,000 police were deployed across the world's most populous Muslim nation to provide security at polling stations, especially in Papua, where ethnic tensions are high and violence marred legislative polls in April.
The official final tally will not be available until July 25, according to the General Elections Commission.
Although often criticized as indecisive, Yudhoyono has been credited with some successes in his first term, including stabilizing the economy and cracking down on deep-rooted graft. He won the 2004 election on pledges to root out corruption, alleviate poverty and spur economic growth.
Yudhoyono welcomed the victory projections.
"I'd like to thank God the Almighty and extend my respect to the people of Indonesia for casting their ballots," Yudhoyono told reporters.
"Even though quick counts conducted by survey institutions are indicating we are successful, we are still awaiting the final results from the election commission," Yudhoyono said.
He said any challenge to the results should be done through the legal system.
In the April legislative elections, Yudhoyono's Democratic Party garnered 20 per cent of vote - up from 7 per cent in 2004 - to become the largest party in parliament.
More than 176 million of the country's population of more than 230 million are eligible to vote at 450,000 polling stations.
"I hope whoever wins can make good on their promises and make basic needs cheaper," Yuyun Wahyuniah, a 51-year-old housewife, said after casting her ballot at a polling station in central Jakarta.
Rivals have accused Yudhoyono and his running mate, former central bank governor Boediono, of being "neoliberals," implying that they are overly inclined to favor foreign investment and free market at the expense of the welfare of poorer Indonesians.
The Constitutional Court on Monday ruled that voters whose names were missing from the voter lists could cast ballots with a valid identity card after Megawati and Kalla complained that millions of voters were not registered.
Megawati is a daughter of Indonesia's founding father, Sukarno, who is running on a nationalist, "people-oriented" economic platform.
Her running mate, former army general Prabowo Subianto, has been accused by activists of human-rights abuses during his career in the military but now portrays himself as a champion of farmers, small traders and fishermen in a series of slick television advertisements.
Kalla has promised a "faster, better" government if he and his running mate, controversial former armed forces chief Wiranto, are elected.
The elected president and vice president are to be sworn in October 20.
