The race for the Indonesian presidency has tightened with the battle shifting today to who will face retired general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in a September 20th runoff analysts.
Mr Yudhoyono failed to win a majority in the first round of elections on Monday and faces a tough campaign against incumbent Ms Megawati Sukarnoputri or former armed forces chief Wiranto.
With about 10 per cent of the vote counted, Mr Yudhoyono was ahead with about 33 per cent, a slimmer lead than many had expected over Ms Megawati's 26 per cent; Wiranto had 23 per cent.
A representative sample of ballots by the US-based National Democratic Institute and a local research organisation showed Mr Yudhoyono (54) was projected to win 34 per cent of the vote.
That is much lower than most pre-election polls which showed him garnering around 40-45 per cent or about 30 percentage points ahead of his nearest rivals, although less than the 50 per cent needed to avoid a runoff.
Analysts said while Mr Yudhoyono had secured his place in the September vote, the battle to be his challenger could prove to be key to who eventually takes the presidency.
The country's stock and currency markets, unnerved by political uncertainty leading up to the election, were trading higher today on the smooth and peaceful ballot, but longer term uncertainty and economic problems remain.