| GEO World | | Yudhoyono takes massive lead in Indonesia election | Updated at: 1516 PST, Wednesday, July 08, 2009
 JAKARTA: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had a massive lead in Indonesia's elections as voting booths closed around the country, according to an exit poll broadcast on national television.
Indonesians voted in their emerging democracy's second direct presidential election, with the incumbent expected to win a single-round victory on the back of recent economic and political stability.
An unofficial quick count at 2,000 polling stations with a fifth of ballots counted gave President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 54 percent of the vote, which would be enough to avoid a runoff in September.
Megawati Sukarnoputri, a former president whose father was the first leader of Indonesia, was second at 24 percent, with Vice President Jusuf Kalla at 22 percent.
The count by a local news channel the liberal ex-general 50.48 percent of the vote, compared to 19.48 for opposition leader Megawati Sukarnoputri and 15.19 percent for outgoing Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
Another "quick count" poll broadcast by another news channel gave Yudhoyono 53.87 percent of the vote, with Megawati third on 20.74 and Kalla on 25.79.
Final official results are not expected for several days but based on the unofficial figures Yudhoyono will be hoping to avoid a second-round run-off in September.
Some 170 million people were eligible to vote in only the country's second direct presidential election since the fall of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998. |  |
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