Voting begins in Indonesian elections

Indonesians began casting their ballots at 7 a.m. local time Wednesday in the world’s biggest single-day election.

The presidential race has pit the moderate incumbent Joko “Jokowi” Widodo against ultranationalist former general Prabowo Subianto.

About 193 million people are eligible to vote in elections that will decide who leads the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country. They will also be electing the nation’s legislature.

The polling ends at 1 p.m. local time and preliminary results are expected within hours after a so-called “quick count.” The election commission is expected to announce the final result in May.

Most opinion polls have consistently given a double-digit lead to Widodo, but Prabowo told a news conference late Tuesday that he expected to win with 63% of the vote.