Indonesians elect capital governor in gubernatorial runoff

Millions of residents in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta went to the polls on Wednesday to pick up a governor in a second round of election.

Two gubernatorial candidates - incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama and former education minister Anies Baswedan - are competing in the runoff.

Over 13,000 polling stations opened for about 7.1 million eligible voters in Jakarta, according to the city's electoral commission.

Over 61,000 policemen, soldiers and personnel from the community protection agency were deployed to secure the election, National Police chief General Tito Karnavian said.

Jakarta is the country's financial center which accounts for nearly a fifth of the nation's GDP.

Purnama, 50, promised to accelerate the rollout of major infrastructure projects, including the Jakarta ting road. He also insisted on stepping up efforts to improve administration, constructing more government-funded low-cost housing and raising subsidies for basic necessities.

The 47-year-old Baswedan supported President Joko Widodo's agenda, accelerating economic growth with higher assistance for small and medium business.

He also pledged to boost role of private sector in building infrastructure, fighting corruption and facilitating business. Endit