JAKARTA - Voting is under way in Indonesia, with more than 200 million people expected to cast their ballots for the country’s next president and vice-president on Feb 14.

In what has been called the world’s biggest single-day elections, voters across the archipelago, which stretches across three time zones, are also electing their parliamentarians as well as their executive and legislative representatives at all administrative levels.

All eyes are on the presidential race, with three pairs of candidates vying for the posts of president and vice-president. The country’s current leader, Mr Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, is finishing his second five-year term and is constitutionally barred from contesting again.

The first pair consists of front runner and defence chief Prabowo Subianto, 72, who narrowly lost to Mr Widodo in 2014 and 2019, and Solo mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, Mr Widodo’s elder son.

Former governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan, 54, who has also set his sights on the presidency, is running with former minister of manpower and transmigration Muhaimin Iskandar, 57, who is vying to be vice-president.

The third pair comprises ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle candidate and former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, 55, and his running mate, former chief security minister Mahfud MD, 66.

A total of 580 seats are also up for grabs in the House of Representatives, Indonesia’s national Parliament. A total of 9,917 candidates from 18 political parties are vying for these seats.

Voters began casting their ballots when the first polling booths in the east of Indonesia opened at 6am Singapore time, and the hundreds of thousands of polling stations across the country will close by 2pm Singapore time.

Voting got off to a wet start in several parts of the country, as heavy rain and flooding forced some to adjust their plans.

President Jokowi told reporters that the event was a “festival of democracy”, after casting his ballot at a polling station in Gambir in Central Jakarta.

“We hope that this will truly be a festival for the people, and will take place honestly and fairly, and will be participated with joy by all Indonesians. I hope the election will go smoothly and people will be able to exercise their right to vote.”

Over in Demak regency in Central Java, the election authorities postponed voting in 10 villages after over 100 polling stations were affected by severe floods. Under Indonesian law, voting can be postponed to no later than 10 days after voting.

In the capital Jakarta, heavy rain in the early hours of the morning meant that some voters had to hold up umbrellas as they headed to their polling stations. Several traffic accidents were reported, owing to the slippery roads, and at least 20 voting stations in the northern part of the city experienced some flooding.

Speaking to the media at his Jakarta home before heading out to vote, Mr Anies said that he hoped the election process would go smoothly despite the weather.

“Yes, it is raining. But our experience is this: Rain does not dampen the spirit, and heat does not melt the spirit. So we’ll go ahead,” he said.

Mr Ganjar called for “clean elections” before he headed to a polling station in Semarang in Central Java.

“What’s important is the integrity of how we count the votes. I am sure that all three candidate pairs will accept the results with grace,” he said.

Before heading to vote at a polling station near his home in Bogor, West Java, Mr Prabowo gave brief remarks to the media, saying that he hopes to win the election.

After casting his ballot, he said: “According to our people’s belief, the rain brings blessings so we should be grateful. Hopefully everything goes smoothly, God willing. We shall now wait for the results.”

Counting of the votes can begin only after the polls have closed.

The complete vote count by Indonesia’s official polls body, the General Elections Commission (KPU), is not expected to be released on Feb 14, given the large number of ballots to be counted.

But early indications of how the race is shaping up will be available from around 4pm Singapore time, when independent survey agencies begin releasing their quick count results based on sample votes.

KPU is expected to announce the final official results weeks later.

Golf caddy Djaini Madjid, 62, a South Jakarta resident, told The Straits Times that the election campaign this time round is more intense than the previous ones he had witnessed.

“It is a more aggressive, more intense one now. There is a camp that intensely wants change; there is another camp that intensely wants a continuation (of the current system).”

He declined to disclose who he voted for and said: “Our hope is that Indonesia prospers further, and more jobs are created.”

The polls come after more than 10 weeks of campaigning, with the presidential candidates holding their final rallies on Feb 10.

Indonesian law states that a presidential candidate needs a simple majority – or more than 50 per cent – of the votes to win. They also need to attain at least 20 per cent of the votes in half of Indonesia’s 38 provinces.

If that does not happen, the top two pairs of candidates will enter a run-off vote in June, with the third pair eliminated.

Analysts had widely predicted a June run-off, but the tide appeared to turn in favour of Mr Prabowo days before the polls. After months of his electability ratings staying stagnant and hovering around the mid-40 per cent mark, two latest surveys showed Mr Prabowo breaching the 50 per cent threshold.

In a survey by pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia, carried out from Jan 28 to Feb 4 and released on Feb 9, Mr Prabowo received 51.8 per cent of the vote from respondents, followed by Mr Anies with 24.1 per cent, and Mr Ganjar with 19.6 per cent.

In another poll by the Indonesia Survey Institute released on Feb 10, Mr Prabowo received 51.9 per cent of support, followed by Mr Anies with 23.3 per cent and Mr Ganjar with 20.3 per cent.

The next president will take office in October 2024.