JAKARTA: Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto was winning the archipelago's presidential election by a wide margin with half of all votes counted, the country's election commission vote tracker showed on Friday.

With 50 percent of votes tallied, Prabowo stood at 56.89 percent, with former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan at 25.27 percent and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo at 17.84 percent.

Official results are not expected until March, but early indications all point to the 72-year-old ex-general being anointed as the successor to popular outgoing leader Joko Widodo.

"Thank God, we must be grateful and continue to monitor the KPU's official results," Subianto said late Thursday, referring to the general election commission.

The populist already claimed a "victory for all Indonesians" on Wednesday based on preliminary results by government-approved pollsters.

Late Thursday, he said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had called to congratulate him, as well as the leaders of Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, in a post showing him with a phone held to his ear.

The United States, however, has been more cautious, only congratulating the Indonesian people on the election's "robust turnout" in a statement that did not mention Subianto.

Meanwhile, Indonesian activists whose children disappeared or were shot dead by military forces in the 1990s protested late Thursday against the expected presidential victory of Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto.

The 72-year-old ex-special forces general declared victory on Wednesday after preliminary results from government-approved pollsters indicated he would win the high office with a majority at his third attempt.

More than 100 demonstrators gathered outside the presidential palace in the capital Jakarta in protest, holding up yellow cards, blowing whistles and unfurling a banner reading "save democracy."

Non-governmental organizations and his former bosses accuse Prabowo of ordering the abduction of democracy activists toward the end of dictator Suharto's three-decade rule. Subianto has denied responsibility and was never charged. More than a dozen have never been found.

Analysts say Subianto's popularity rose after he rehabilitated his image on social media and pledged to continue the economic agenda of popular outgoing leader Joko Widodo.

Final results are expected next month but the slower official count has put the former general on course for a majority win with nearly half tallied.

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