Indonesia's voters handed president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono a second five-year term today after placing their faith in his firm but unassuming hand on the economic tiller and his promises of further reform.
Official results from the election will not be announced until later this month, but "quick count" results - which have proved extremely reliable in the past - showed Mr Yudhoyono had won enough votes to avoid a second run-off with his nearest rival.
Not known for jumping to a conclusion, Mr Yudhoyono declared his own resounding victory as the results rolled in from across the archipelago of 226 million people. "The quick counts show our success, thanks be to God," the 59-year-old former army general told reporters as jubilant supporters flocked to his home in Bogor, Java island, to congratulate him.
With virtually all of the LSI polling agency's sample of votes counted, Mr Yudhoyono's tally stood at a commanding 60.82 per cent. Other agencies put his score slightly lower, but all showed he was comfortably above the halfway mark needed to avoid a second round.
The election, only the second direct vote for a president in Indonesia, cements the country's transition to democracy after a chequered history.
It is also likely to usher in an acceleration of reforms in Southeast Asia's biggest economy which could lure foreign investment, create jobs and shore up flagging growth.
Indonesian stocks, bonds and the rupiah have rallied this year on the prospect of a Yudhoyono win, and analysts now see them rising further on the results. Jakarta markets were closed on Wednesday for the poll.
A decade ago, Indonesia was the sick man of Asia. After 32 years of rule by Mr Suharto, who oversaw a system of entrenched corruption and nepotism, it stood on the brink of political, social, and financial collapse.
Mr Yudhoyono's government has since brought political stability, peace and the best economic performance in a decade. Today, some see Indonesia on another brink: of economic take-off and joining the emerging "BRIC" economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
Nevertheless, the world's most-populous Muslim nation is hardly problem-free: corruption is widespread, infrastructure is in dire need of an overhaul and millions live in poverty.
US president Barack Obama, who lived in Indonesia as a child, is expected to visit the country later this year - a trip that would warm ties that both countries say they plan to raise to the level of "comprehensive partnership".
However, US trade officials and businesses complain about a range of protectionist policies, including judicial and bureaucratic bias favouring Indonesian firms, as well as rampant corruption that distorts the economic playing field.
Reuters