Governor of Indonesia's capital Basuki Tjahaja Purnama shows his ballot during an election for Jakarta's governor in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 15, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesian Islamist groups on Monday called on the government to suspend the Christian governor of the capital and for the courts to convict him of blasphemy, demands they will make again at a rally outside parliament on Tuesday.

Islamist groups have held two big rallies since November against the governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is on trial for insulting the Koran, and in the midst of an election in which he hopes to win a second term.

"Our demands to parliament are that they urge the government to suspend Purnama ... and urge the Supreme Court and judges to detain him and impose the maximum sentence," said Muhammad al Khaththath of the Islamic People's Forum.

The forum is one of the groups organizing the Tuesday rally.

Previous rallies drew hundreds of thousands of people and raised concern about the erosion of religious tolerance in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

Purnama, Jakarta's first ethnic Chinese and Christian leader, denies insulting the Koran.

He has been allowed to remain in office while the court case is going on but faces up to four years in prison if found guilty of blasphemy.

His supporters say the charge against him is politically motivated.

Last Wednesday, he stood against two Muslim candidates in a city governor election but none of them got enough votes to win outright.

A second round is due in mid-April with Purnama competing against a former education minister, Anies Baswedan, who has appealed to the Muslim vote in the city of more than 10 million.

Jakarta police have stepped up security ahead of Tuesday's demonstration which up to 10,000 people are expected to join, said police spokesman Argo Yuwono.

The Jakarta election is widely seen as a proxy battle for the next presidential election in 2019.

Purnama is a former deputy of President Joko Widodo, when Widido was Jakarta governor, and he is being backed by the president's party.

Baswedan is backed by a retired general, Prabowo Subianto, who Widodo defeated in the last presidential election, in 2014, and who is promising a political comeback. </s> JAKARTA: Polls opened on Wednesday (Apr 19) in Jakarta's election run-off with the Christian governor fighting for his job despite standing trial for blasphemy, in a vote that has stoked religious tensions in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is facing a Muslim challenger, heavyweight ex-minister Anies Baswedan, in a neck-and-neck race to lead the teeming capital of over 10 million people.

Purnama, the city's first non-Muslim governor for half a century and its first ethnic Chinese leader, won in the first round in February but not by a big enough margin to avoid a run-off.

The race was already significant as politicians see the job as a stepping stone to the presidency at 2019 polls, but the stakes were raised dramatically by a controversy over claims that Purnama insulted the Quran.

The allegations drew hundreds of thousands of conservative Muslims onto the streets of Jakarta in major protests last year, and led to Purnama - known by his nickname Ahok - being put on trial for blasphemy in a case critics see as politically motivated.

Purnama, 50, has seen a once-unassailable poll lead shrink, and the vote has become a test of whether the traditional, tolerant brand of Islam in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country is under threat from the rising influence of hardliners.

"This is Indonesian pluralist Islam versus a new type of political Islam that is pushed by hardline Islamists," Tobias Basuki, a Jakarta-based political analyst at think-tank the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP.

Polls opened at 7:00 am (0000 GMT) and will close at 1:00 pm, with over 7.2 million people registered to vote. Over 60,000 security forces have been deployed.

Early vote tallies from private pollsters due to be released in the afternoon should give an indication of how the candidates have performed although official results will not be announced until early May.

Despite Purnama's first-round victory, former education minister Baswedan, 47, was initially seen as the favourite in the run-off because the votes from a third, Muslim candidate who was knocked out were expected to go to him.

But with tension over the governor's alleged blasphemy subsiding in recent weeks, Purnama has regained momentum. Recent polls show the two candidates almost neck and neck, although most put Baswedan ahead by a wafer-thin margin.

Purnama's troubles began in September when he lightheartedly said in a speech that his rivals were tricking people into voting against him using a Koranic verse, which some interpret as meaning Muslims should only choose Muslim leaders.

If Purnama - who won popularity for his determined efforts to clean up Jakarta - does win the vote and is then convicted of blasphemy, he would not automatically be barred from holding office and could avoid jail for a long time by filing successive appeals. </s> Millions of Indonesians have been going to the polls in the capital Jakarta to pick a governor in a runoff between a Muslim candidate and the incumbent Christian governor, who is being prosecuted for allegations of blasphemy.

Polls opened at 7:00 a.m. (0000 GMT) and will close at 1:00 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Wednesday.

Jakarta’s 7.1 million eligible voters are casting their ballots in more than 13,000 polling stations, which are being secured by thousands of police forces.

Jakarta’s Christian Governor Basuki Purnama Tjahaja, known as Ahok, who is running for another term, is facing blasphemy charges for having recited a verse from the Quran to accuse his opponents of using the holy book to turn voters against him in November 2016.

The move angered Muslims and brought hundreds of thousands of protesters to the streets of Jakarta repeated times. Purnama has denied an intention to insult Muslims.

He came in first with almost 43 percent of the vote in the first round of the election on February 15, just ahead of former Education and Culture Minister Anies Baswedan, who, like 85 percent of Jakarta’s residents, is a Muslim. But the incumbent did not secure enough votes for an outright win.

According to polls, the runoff, too, is expected to be a tight race.

Purnama, who is backed by President Joko Widodo’s ruling party, cast his vote with his family in North Jakarta. There, he said, “The military and the police have guaranteed safety, so don’t be afraid.”

Police had said it would deploy 66,000 personnel in the city.

A Muslim coalition group also said it would be deploying monitors at each polling station across Jakarta.

Tensions are high in the capital of the world’s largest Muslim-populated country, with both sides raising concerns about voter fraud.

Meanwhile, prosecutors will on Thursday make their sentencing demand in Purnama’s trial for blasphemy, which is considered a criminal offense in the country.

If convicted, he would face five years in prison. </s> Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Purnama looked set to win but could not get enough votes in the first round

Jakarta's first Christian governor has conceded defeat to a Muslim former government minister in a vote seen as a test of Indonesia's secular identity.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama congratulated his rival after exit polls showed Anies Rasyid Baswedan clearly ahead.

Critics of Mr Purnama had accused him of blasphemy, heightening racial and religious tensions. Mr Baswedan was accused of courting hardliners.

The new mayor takes office in October. Official results come in May.

"We now will come together and forget this campaign. Jakarta is home for all of us," Mr Purnama, popularly known as Ahok, said in a nationally televised news conference.

"We understand that our supporters are disappointed. But don't dwell on it."

Mr Baswedan hinted he would try to heal divisions, saying: "We celebrate diversity... We are all ready to work together again."

Who is Jakarta's new governor?

Image copyright Reuters

Anies Baswedan is a respected academic and a former university rector, who studied in the US under a Fulbright scholarship

Known to be a moderate Muslim, but attracted criticism when he met publicly with Islamist groups during his campaign. His team insists he remains a pluralist

Former education and culture minister dropped from President Joko Widodo's cabinet last year in a reshuffle

Has pledged to improve public education, contain living costs and end forced evictions

Hardline Islamist groups say Mr Purnama, a Christian of Chinese descent, insulted a Koranic verse during a campaign speech and have rallied large crowds against him in recent months. He is now on trial for blasphemy, which he denies.

Correspondents say this made the election a choice between secularism and a growing hardline Islamist movement.

How did polling day unfold?

The run-off election between the two men came after no candidate secured more than half the votes in the first round.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Mr Baswedan (centre) is a former education minister

Shortly after polls closed, unofficial counts by private polling companies showed Mr Baswedan had secured a strong lead, with a margin in the double digits.

Police said the election proceeded "smoothly and safely with no significant disruption". They had warned against voter intimidation.

Image caption Convoys of special military police were put on standby as well

A coalition of hardline Islamic groups supporting Mr Basedan had previously said it would send at least 100 activists to each polling station to monitor voting. But correspondents said they had a very limited presence.

Mr Purnama voted with his family in north Jakarta early on Wednesday morning and urged voters not to be afraid.

Rizieq Shihab, leader of the Islamic Defenders Front which has been leading protests against Mr Purnama, also cast his vote.

Asked by the BBC if his group was damaging Indonesia's pluralist democracy, he said: "Democracy doesn't stop someone from voting for a person from the same religion as you.... Christian vote for Christian, Muslims vote for Muslim."

Image caption Rizieq Shihab (left) is the leader of the Islamic Defenders Front

The election has also seen anti-Chinese sentiment, sparking unease in a country that has seen violence against its Chinese minority in the past.

A number of Chinese Indonesians who turned up to vote told the BBC that they had not been intimidated.

"Politics is cruel. There will be threats, physically or verbally. But I still feel comfortable even though I'm of Chinese descent... So far they only scream out hatred but haven't really acted on it," one voter, Rudi Irmawan, told the BBC.

Image caption Chinese voters were seen at several polling stations

What is the controversy about?

Mr Purnama was accused last year of insulting a Koranic verse during a campaign speech, which he has denied, saying his comments were aimed at politicians "incorrectly" using the Koran against him.

Hardline Islamists have cited that verse from the Koran to support an argument that Muslims should not vote for a non-Muslim leader.

Image caption The hardline Islamist Tamasya Al Maidah group sent activists to polling stations, but their presence was limited

If convicted, Mr Purnama faces a maximum five-year jail sentence. His trial is due to resume on Thursday.

How has it affected the outcome?

Observers say the controversy clearly hurt Mr Purnama's chances. Once considered the clear frontrunner, he won the first round of the election in February with only 43% of the vote, while Mr Baswedan had 40%.

The Jakarta Post has described the campaign as "the dirtiest, most polarising and most divisive the nation has ever seen".

Indonesia is the world's most-populous Muslim country. About 85% of its population are Muslim, but the country officially respects six religions. </s> JAKARTA, Indonesia - Residents of the Indonesian capital are electing a governor Wednesday after a polarizing campaign that undermined the country's reputation for practicing a tolerant form of Islam. The runoff election pits the minority Christian incumbent, Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama, against a former Cabinet minister, Anies Baswedan, who has courted the support of conservative clerics who oppose electing a non-Muslim.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Washington Post. </s> (USA TODAY) Elected official now faces AKARTA, Indonesia — The Christian governor of the capital in this mostly Muslim country lost a runoff election Wednesday that was filled with religious and ethnic tensions.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who is of Chinese heritage, trailed former education minister Anies Baswedan by at least 10 percentage points, with more than 80% of the ballots counted.

Purnama, known by his nickname Ahok, faces a blasphemy charge for insulting the Quran. In recent months, hardline Muslim groups took to the streets and social media to advise against voting against a non-Muslim. </s> Jakarta’s Christian governor on Wednesday lost heavily to a Muslim former government minister in an election run-off, private polls indicated, after a divisive battle that has damaged Indonesia’s reputation as a bastion of tolerant Islam. Anies Baswedan, who was accused of pandering to hardliners to win votes, and his supporters cheered as news came through that surveys showed him winning by over 10 percentage points against Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, who was fighting for his job while standing trial for blasphemy.

Official results are not expected until early May but the private pollsters, who count a sample of votes, are usually accurate. The vote was seen as a test of whether the moderate Islam traditionally practised in the world’s most populous Muslim country is under threat from hardliners, who have led a series of mass demonstrations against Purnama over allegations he insulted the Koran.

It came against a backdrop of rising religious intolerance that has tainted the image of the diverse Indonesian archipelago as a pluralistic country in recent years, with a surge in attacks on minorities. Baswedan, a former education minister, thanked Jakarta’s voters for supporting him and hinted that he would move to heal the divisions in the capital after the bitter poll, if his victory was confirmed.

“We celebrate diversity… We are all ready to work together again,” the 47-year-old said. Purnama, the city’s first non-Muslim governor for half a century and its first ethnic Chinese leader, congratulated Baswedan and his running mate, adding: “We are all the same, we want a good Jakarta, because it is our home.”

The defeat is also a blow for President Joko Widodo, whose party had backed Purnama. The incumbent had long been a shoo-in to win re-election after gaining popularity due to his determined efforts to clean up Jakarta. But the governor — known by his nickname Ahok — lost a once-unassailable lead after a controversy erupted last year over claims that he had insulted Islam, a grave charge in Indonesia.

His troubles began in September when he lightheartedly said in a speech that his rivals were tricking people into voting against him by using a Koranic verse, which some interpret as meaning Muslims should only choose Muslim leaders.

The allegations drew hundreds of thousands of conservative Muslims onto the streets of Jakarta in major protests, and led to Purnama being put on trial for blasphemy in a case critics see as politically motivated.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now </s> Preliminary election results show the minority Christian governor of the Indonesian capital has been resoundingly defeated by his Muslim challenger after a campaign that highlighted the country's religious and racial divides.

So called "quick counts" by 10 research companies show former Cabinet minister Anies Baswedan winning between 55 and 60 percent of votes with more than half of ballots counted.

Incumbent Gov. Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama is on trial for blasphemy and hundreds of thousands protested against him in Jakarta, deriding his Chinese ancestry and calling for him to be imprisoned or killed.

Baswedan courted the support of conservative clerics who opposed electing a non-Muslim.

The polarizing campaign has undermined Indonesia's reputation for practicing a moderate form of Islam. </s> Former cabinet minister beats incumbent governor, on trial for blasphemy, after religiously divisive campaign.

Jakarta's incumbent Christian governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama has conceded defeat in the race to become the city's new governor after unofficial results showed former Indonesian education minister taking the polls.

So-called quick counts by 10 research companies on Wednesday showed Anies Baswedan, a former cabinet minister, winning 58 percent of votes in the head-to-head vote, with 100 percent of ballots counted.

The official results will be announced by the national elections commission early May.

In his concession speech, Purnama, also known as Ahok, urged his supporters to stay calm.

"To our supporters, I know you are sad, but this is the will of God," Purnama said.

"We still have six months to finish our homework and we will do our best," he said, referring to his time left in office.

The vote followed a campaign that opened religious and racial divides in the world's most populous Muslim nation.

Purnama was Jakarta's first Christian governor in half a century and the first ethnically Chinese governor.

He had been popular with middle-class Jakartans for his efforts to stamp out corruption and make the overflowing polluted city more livable. But his brash manner and evictions of slum communities alienated many in the city of 10 million.

He is on trial for blasphemy. In recent months, hundreds of thousands of Indonesians have protested against him in the capital, deriding his Chinese ancestry and calling for him to be imprisoned or killed.

On Thursday, prosecutors will make their sentencing demand in Purnama's trial.

Blasphemy is a criminal offence in Indonesia and punishable by up to five years in prison.

Baswedan, a highly educated Muslim politician, capitalised on the backlash against Purnama by courting the support of conservative religious leaders and figures on the radical fringe who opposed electing a non-Muslim.

The polarising campaign has given Indonesia's conservative Muslim groups a national stage.

Purnama won the first round in February but not by a big enough margin to avoid a runoff.
Indonesian voters in Jakarta return to the polls for the second round of a gubernatorial election between incumbent Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, whose alleged blasphemy sparked mass protests in November, and Anies Baswedan. Opinion polls give Baswedan a narrow lead.