Indonesian troops flood Jakarta streets after post-election riots

JAKARTA: Tens of thousands of Indonesian military and police were deployed on the streets of Jakarta Thursday, as a deadline approached for a presidential challenger to file an appeal over claims of widespread cheating in last month’s election.

At least seven people were killed -- including a 17-year old high school student -- after two nights of rioting in the capital as police clashed with protesters opposed to the re-election of President Joko Widodo.

The violence has been fanned by claims from Widodo’s rival Prabowo Subianto, a retired general, that the April 17 poll was a fraud. Indonesia’s election commission on Tuesday confirmed Widodo had beaten Subianto, who has until Friday to challenge the results at the Constitutional Court.

The 67-year-old has appealed for calm and said he would pursue legal channels, as he did, unsuccessfully, against Widodo in the 2014 election. Election officials and analysts have discounted Subianto’s claims of rampant cheating in the world’s third-biggest democracy, after India and the United States. Nearly 60,000 security personnel were deployed Thursday, nearly double the previous number, after Widodo vowed that he "won’t tolerate" more riots.