Retired general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was Monday confirmed as Indonesia's next leader as final counting from the country's first direct presidential polls gave him a landslide victory over his predecessor.
Yudhoyono, 55, will be sworn in on October 20, one month after a historic vote that saw Indonesians dump incumbent Megawati Sukarnoputri for her former security minister, who has pledged to revive the economy, eradicate graft and get tough on terrorists.
Sussongko Raharjo, deputy secretary general of the election commission, said of more than 114 million valid votes, 60.6 percent had been for Yudhoyono compared to 39.4 for Megawati.
Yudhoyono, who earlier said he was "grateful" for the result, declined to deliver a formal acceptance speech. His representatives said he would wait for Megawati to first concede her defeat.
"I will get down to work soon ... so that the people will know that the new government will start to work immediately to reach the desired goals," he said.
Both he and Megawati have held back on calling the result, although the outcome has been known since the day of the vote - Indonesia's third this year after a presidential first-round ballot in July and April legislative polls.
Nazaruddin Syamsuddin, the election commission chief, hailed the result as a victory for the world's third largest democracy, which emerged from the autocratic grip of former president Suharto in 1998.
"It feels that public participation has been so tremendous that it propelled both presidential and vice-presidential candidates to compete healthily," he said.
"The fact that all three elections went on peacefully was a remarkable achievement for Indonesian citizens."
Yudhoyono has pledged to form a cabinet that will revitalise a moribund economy still to shake off the effects of the 1997 regional financial crisis. Optimism about his promise helped buoy Jakarta markets as the election results were announced.
Megawati, who enjoyed popularity as the daughter of founding president Sukarno, was credited during her three years in power with restoring economic and social stability after the chaotic rule of her predecessor Abdurrahman Wahid.
But voters deserted her in the election, passing judgement on her failure to attract the foreign investment needed to inject new life into the graft-plagued financial sector and rejecting her image as an aloof and uncaring leader.
Yudhoyono campaigned on a ticket of economic reform and battling corruption, but his polished appearance and common touch were seen as the key factors in winning over voters disillusioned with Megawati's hard edges.
As security minister he led efforts to track down those behind the October 2002 Bali bombings, winning him the support of the international community which sees him as the best candidate to tackle the growing terrorist threat.
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