Indonesia's July 9 presidential election was a remarkable event. It was well organized, free of tension and violence, remarkably transparent, and implemented with immense civic pride. It was a celebration of democracy and an impressive display of political maturity.
Unfortunately, what followed has been less worthy of celebration. Indonesia's maturing democracy now faces its sternest test. Both candidates -- Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, Jakarta's enormously popular governor, and Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general -- have each claimed victory. Both have pointed to "quick counts" -- statistical projections of the official outcome by private survey agencies. Virtually all the reputed ones with strong track records for accuracy showed a Widodo win by a margin of 3-5 percentage points. A few with little or no track record and questionable antecedents showed a Subianto win.
