Losing Indonesian presidential candidate Anies Baswedan has filed a legal case at the constitutional court to challenge the outcome of an election won overwhelmingly by Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto.
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Anies, a former Jakarta governor, said the aim of the case was to ensure democracy was improved and said there were many problems with the election that needed to be corrected.
Anies declined to concede after the results were released on Wednesday and his team has alleged the current administration had unfairly sought to influence the contest, which authorities have rejected.
Official results showed ex-special forces commander Prabowo Subianto, who was tacitly backed by the hugely popular incumbent President Joko Widodo, won with almost 60 per cent of the vote, followed by Anies with 25 per cent, and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo with 16 per cent.
"The process and result are both as important. When there is a problematic process, there will be problematic results." Anies told a press conference.
The Anies team has complained about the widespread allocation of social assistance, such as rice, fertiliser and cash handouts, in key electoral areas, which they said influenced the vote. The administration has rejected that.
They have also criticised the Constitutional Court's last-minute decision last year to change election rules, which allowed the president's son to become Prabowo's running mate.
The court's chief justice at the time was Widodo's brother-in-law.
The judge was reprimanded by an ethics panel for intentionally allowing "intervention from an external party", which it did not name, but he was allowed to keep his seat on the bench.
Allies of the president, better known as Jokowi, have rejected allegations he interfered in the court's decision.
Both losing camps have alleged the electoral process was marred by widespread counting irregularities, with the Ganjar Pranowo team also expected to lodge a legal challenge.
Prabowo, a fiery ex-commander turned Tik Tok sensation swept to victory with the help of young voters and his promise of continuity.
On Wednesday he repeated a pledge to use as a guide Jokowi's economic policies, which have modernised infrastructure, cut red tape, and delivered growth and prosperity in the trillion-dollar, G20 economy.
"We will use the strong foundation he has built, especially in the economic sector, to work faster, harder, to bring results as quickly as possible to the Indonesian people," he said.
Prabowo is expected to take over from Jokowi in October.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, congratulated Prabowo on his victory while also applauding the Indonesian people "for their robust turnout and commitment to democracy and the rule of law."
Prabowo's alliance with Jokowi, to whom he lost in 2014 and 2019, prompted fears of a resurgence of patronage politics in a country that just 25 years ago transitioned from authoritarian rule to democracy.
Jokowi's 36-year-old son and Prabowo's running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka is set to become the country's youngest ever vice president, owing to a last-minute change of eligibility rules by a court headed by the president's brother-in-law.
with AP
Australian Associated Press
