Jakarta governor race: Opposition-backed candidate leads in poll

JAKARTA - A candidate backed by Indonesia's opposition has taken the lead in the pivotal race for Jakarta governor less than a week before the regional elections, according to the latest survey.

Some 42.1 per cent of respondents said they would choose Mr Pramono Anung, a senior politician backed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, to lead the country's capital, according to an Indikator Politik Indonesia survey published on Nov 22.

Mr Ridwan Kamil, the candidate allied with President Prabowo Subianto and his predecessor Joko Widodo, was a close second with 40.5 per cent, while an independent candidate was a distant third with 4.8 per cent.

The survey polled 1,229 respondents by telephone across the capital between Nov 15 and 21.