The governor of Jakarta, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, and his opponent Anies Baswedan are neck and neck in the race to lead Indonesia’s capital, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday, a week ahead of the hard-fought vote on April 19.
The election campaign – which has been among the most divisive in the city’s history – has been marred by religious and ethnic tension over the blasphemy trial of the incumbent Ahok, who is accused of insulting Islam.
Ahok was on 46.9 percent of the sample vote, trailing his rival Anies Baswedan by 1 percentage point. This survey stands
10. Elektabilitas calon:
Ahok-Djarot 46.9%;
Anies-Sandi 47.9%;
Tidak tahu/rahasia 5.2%.#SurveiSMRC pic.twitter.com/1Ns9xFxYeg— SMRC (@saifulmujani) April 12, 2017
This survey stands in contrast to other recent polls which gave Anies a slightly larger lead. Candidates need a simple majority to win.
Pollster Saiful Mujani Research Center (SMRC) said the survey of 800 respondents showed Anies enjoyed support primarily because of his Islamic faith, while Ahok was popular due to his record in office.
13. Alasan utama pemilih Ahok karena sudah terbukti hasil kerjanya. Alasan utama pemilih Anies karena kesamaan agama. #SurveiSMRC pic.twitter.com/Bkot0hNy7n
— SMRC (@saifulmujani) April 12, 2017
Ahok, who is Jakarta’s first ethnic Chinese and Christian governor, offended Muslim groups when he made comments last year about his opponents’ use of the Islamic holy book, the Koran, in political campaigning.
Since then, Muslims, led by hardline groups, have held mass rallies to call for Ahok to be sacked, and to urge voters not to elect a non-Muslim. The rallies have raised concerns about growing religious intolerance in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
Ahok has apologized for his comments and denied any wrongdoing. He faces up to four years in prison if found guilty.
Judges hearing the case decided this week to adjourn the trial until after voting day, after police and prosecutors asked for a delay because of security concerns.
(Reporting by Gayatri Suroyo; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Ed Davies and Clarence Fernandez)
