Jakarta. Retired police general Ahmad Luthfi, who received public backing from former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, appears poised to win the Central Java gubernatorial election, securing nearly 60 percent of the vote in a two-way race.

In Wednesday’s election, Luthfi faced off against retired General Andika Perkasa, the former Armed Forces commander who previously led the presidential security force during Jokowi's early presidency.

Jokowi openly endorsed Luthfi, even appearing at his final campaign rally in Central Java to show his support.

The Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) quick count results show Luthfi leading decisively with 59.38 percent of the vote.

The Central Java election marks another key political battleground where Jokowi has distanced himself from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the party with which he launched his political career. The rift became more evident after Jokowi’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, joined Prabowo Subianto’s presidential ticket last October. Gibran and Prabowo eventually won the presidential election.

In Jakarta’s gubernatorial race, Jokowi endorsed Ridwan Kamil, who faced off against PDI-P candidate Pramono Anung. However, quick counts from major pollsters suggest that Pramono is set to win the Jakarta governorship.

Meanwhile, in North Sumatra, Jokowi’s son-in-law Bobby Nasution is leading over his sole rival Edy Rahmayadi, who was nominated by the PDI-P.

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