By Nilufar Rizki

DEPOK, Indonesia, June 27 : Tens of millions of Indonesian voters headed to the polls under tight security on Wednesday to cast ballots in regional elections across the world’s third-largest democracy and biggest Muslim-majority country.

The elections for 171 city mayors, regents, and provincial governors are likely to set the tone for national parliamentary and presidential elections in 2019, with some hardline Islamic leaders now publicly calling for the ousting of President Joko Widodo, who is expected to seek a second term.

Widodo has pledged to protect Indonesia’s tradition of pluralism and moderate Islam in the officially secular country.

A strong showing by Widodo supporters in the regional elections, particularly in the most populous Java provinces, would be a boost for his chances in what is expected to be a re-run of the 2014 contest between Widodo and retired general Prabowo Subianto.

Opinion polls suggest candidates from pro-Widodo parties will win in key provinces like West Java, but observers will be watching for signs of Islamist influence after a divisive contest for the Jakarta governorship last year.

Indonesia is on high alert after a series of suicide attacks in Surabaya city killed 30 people last month, in the deadliest militant Islamist attacks in over a decade.

Last week, one of Indonesia’s highest-profile Islamic State supporters was sentenced to death for his involvement in a series of attacks, and experts have warned of a risk of retaliatory attacks from his supporters.

National police and military have deployed thousands of personnel to secure the polls, as voters cast ballots in polling booths set up in schools, town halls, and outdoor tents.

“We are carrying out regular police operations and we have deployed 171,000 alongside the military,” said national police spokesman Setyo Wasisto.

There have been no reports of unrest so far during voting and on the resort island of Bali there was a festive feel, with some voting stations decked out in a World Cup theme, with election officials dressed in soccer jerseys.

More than 160 million people are registered to vote and over half of them are on Java, where West Java province’s population of 47 million alone is roughly equivalent to Spain.

Puti Noviyanda, a private sector employee who voted in Bogor, West Java, said she was concerned that leaders should focus on concrete measures to help the community.

“I am worried about choosing the wrong pair of candidates who support intolerance,” she said. “If there is a flood, the city government should not use the budget to hold a mass prayer, but rather to create a programme to prevent it.” Another voter in the province, Alif Perdana, said he “hoped for a calmer situation on social media ahead of the presidential election”.

Indonesians are avid users of social media and there has previously been spikes in fake news and hate speech during political campaigns often around race and religion.

Polls opened at 7 am (0000 GMT) and stay open for six hours. Quick counts, based on early counting of a sample of votes, are expected to start coming in a few hours after polls close and have previously given an accurate assessment.

The National Election Commission is expected to announce official results on July 9.

/Reuters