The wonderful Michael Bachelard writing from Indonesia for Fairfax says: Former army strongman Prabowo Subianto claims to have ''withdrawn'' from the presidential race on the day it was to be announced that he had lost.
In an extraordinary statement in his campaign headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Prabowo said he entirely rejected the judgment delivered by 133 million Indonesians at the ballot box on July 9, because it was the result of ''massive cheating that is structured and systematic''.
Despite having his own witnesses at the vote counting. He has only done this now it is clear he has lost.
He said the country's Electoral Commission had failed in its duty to democracy, so he withdrew his participation from the process. He also suggested, though not explicitly, that he would not take his appeal to Indonesia's constitutional court.
Prabowo Subianto was banned from travelling to the US for his involvement in war crimes and torture. Like Putin he was head of the intelligence. He was head of Kopassus during it's killing spree over East Timor. He is responsible for bodies thrown down wells, for the human rights activist poisoned on Garuda. He is funded by his billionaire brother. He married former dictator and kleptocrat General Suharto's daughter. Suharto and his cronies looted hundreds of billions from Indonesia. Prabowo wants power and he will do anything to get it. Just watch this space.
Later, his legal representative, Mahendradatta, confirmed to kompas.com that, "only those with legal standing can go to the Constitutional Court - that is those who are registered as presidential candidates ... By withdrawing we ... no longer have legal standing".
Mr Prabowo's confidante, Fadli Zon, said the campaign team would let people know what was the next step "but for sure it will not be anything illegal".
There was also speculation that the withdrawal violated the presidential election law, which says anyone who withdraws after the voting will be jailed for between three and six years, and fined 50 billion and 100 billion rupiah ($5 million to $10 million).
It is unclear what Mr Prabowo will do next, and he did not spell it out, but, even though he urged calm, his response will heighten the risk of street battles launched by his hardline supporters.
''We, Prabowo-[and running mate] Hatta [Rajasa] were ready to win or to lose, but in a respectable democratic process, and therefore we ask all people who voted for us to be calm and be assured we are not letting our democratic rights be robbed,'' he said.
Mr Hatta was not present at the announcement and Mr Prabowo refused to answer questions.
Late on Monday, police were lining the city streets around the Electoral Commission after threats from Mr Prabowo's camp that he would send thousands of supporters to ''guard'' and ''secure'' the vote.
But Mr Prabowo ordered his own scrutineers to withdraw from the Electoral Commission's official count, amid claims that its process amounted to ''crimes'' against democracy in Indonesia.
Jokowi has won. The vote is to be finalised today. Saudi Arabia has reportedly been flooding the Indonesian election campaign with money, and it is becoming increasingly islamicised. Indonesia has a massive military, 200 million Muslims and a stronger GDP than Australia. This country is a threat. The people of West Papua will continue to be exterminated whoever wins.