JAKARTA, Feb 15 — Former general Prabowo Subianto claimed victory in Indonesia’s presidential election yesterday as preliminary results put him well ahead of his two rivals to lead South-east Asia’s biggest economy.

Polls had long shown the fiery defence minister to be the favourite after he pledged to carry on the agenda of popular outgoing leader Joko Widodo, who is accused of inappropriately backing his campaign and whose son is Subianto’s running mate.

“All counts, all pollsters... showed figures that Prabowo-Gibran won in one round,” he told cheering supporters in central Jakarta, referring to his vice presidential pick Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who stood beside him in a matching checked shirt.

“This victory should be a victory for all Indonesians.”

Official results are not due until next month but at least four government-approved groups — making projections based on official early tallying — showed Subianto winning around 57 per cent for a clear majority.

While claiming victory, Subianto stressed “we must still wait for KPU’s official result”, referring to the election commission.

“We believe Indonesian democracy is running well. The people have decided,” he told supporters.

Subianto, who was a military chief during the Suharto dictatorship a generation ago, needs more than 50 percent of the overall vote and at least a fifth of ballots cast in over half the country’s 38 provinces to secure the presidency.

The 72-year-old — who pushed street protests and launched legal challenges after losing the previous two elections — thanked his supporters and called for unity.