(19 Apr 2017) Anies Baswedan cast his ballot on Wednesday in the final runoff for the next Governor of Jakarta.
Baswedan, who voted in south Jakarta with his wife and daughter, said afterwards he was optimistic of victory.
Millions of Indonesians are taking part in the election after a polarizing campaign that has undermined the country's reputation for practicing a tolerant form of Islam.
Former cabinet minister Baswedan, who is aiming to unseat the minority Christian incumbent, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, has courted the support of conservative clerics who oppose electing a non-Muslim.
The Jakarta election battle has cracked open religious and ethnic fault-lines and highlighted the growing strength of hard-line Islamic groups in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
Massive protests against Ahok, who is on trial for blaspheming the Quran, shook the centrist minded government of his ally President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
More than 13,000 polling stations were open on Wednesday for Jakarta's 7.1 million eligible voters.

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