We'll be closing our coverage of election day in Indonesia shortly, thanks for joining us.

If you'd like to read a full write-up of the vote, which seems to have put defence minister Prabowo Subianto in the driving seat, click here.

We've also put together a profile of the former general - who has been linked to human rights abuses in the past but has rebranded himself as a "cuddly grandpa" for a generation of younger voters.

For a look at how one of the world's hardest won and largest democracies works, our South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head wrote this deep dive ahead of today's momentous election.

It's been a busy day of electioneering and vote counting in Indonesia, so here's an at-a-glance look at some key things to know from today:

• Unofficial early results predict a substantial win for defence minister Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander dogged by allegations of human rights abuses
• The data indicates he may be victorious in a single round, as he looks to have secured more than 50% of the vote as required under Indonesian election rules
• But if this turns out to be not the case, a run-off with rival candidates Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan is set to be held in June
• Both of Prabowo's main opponents called for people to wait for official results, which may not be confirmed for some days or weeks
• The former general's likely victory has prompted concerns the country is at risk of backsliding to authoritarianism, given his family links to former dictator Suharto
• Prabowo himself has not claimed victory entirely, although he has recently told supporters at a rally in Jakarta the quick count shows he won in one round

• His running mate for vice-president is Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the 36-year-old son of popular outgoing president Joko Widodo - which has also stirred up allegations of nepotism and corruption
• The challenge of election logistics in Indonesia is remarkable, which is home to more than 205 million eligible voters spread across 17,000 islands

• Such is the scale of delivering the election in a single day, at least 10 poll workers have died in the days running up to it - many from exhaustion after trekking up volcanoes or through dense rainforest
• But this also represents a remarkable safety improvement on 2019's election, when more than 900 election officers died

Image source, Reuters

We're now hearing from Anies Baswedan, one of Prabowo's main rivals for the Indonesian presidency.

Quoted by Reuters news agency, Anies says his party will wait for the official result and respect it.

Earlier, his supporters struck a defiant tone, casting doubt over the legitimacy of the vote count.

But Anies says he gives total authority to the election community to finish the count.

Addressing supporters in Jakarta, the presidential hopeful says his party is ready to continue fighting, adding their "movement of change" in the last couple of months had brought a new dimension to the election.

Anies is considered the anti-Jokowi candidate, and has pledged to undo many of the incumbent leader's centrepiece policies.

Prabowo Subianto told the crowds who greeted him earlier that young voters had been a key part of his support base in these elections.

More than half of Indonesia's 205m voters are aged below 40 and so - perhaps unsurprisingly - Prabowo's campaign team focused heavily on social media and appealing to the young.

The 72-year-old presented himself as a 'cuddly grandpa' and can be seen doing his signature dance move, both on stage and several TikTok videos. His campaign team has also encouraged him to share cat-related content with followers on Instagram.

But not that long ago, Prabowo's name would have spooked most Indonesians.

You can read more about his path to popularity - despite a dark past - here.

Hanna Samosir
Reporting from Jakarta

Ganjar Pranowo's campaign headquarters at Menteng in central Jakarta is looking quiet after the early results point to a Prabowo win.

When I arrive, there are only a few journalists sitting in the front yard.

Ganjar, according to them, had left. The presidential candidate had told the media he was leaving — although he did not specify where he was going.

"From earlier, it was not too crowded, anyway. Ganjar left, just saying he wanted to go home. I don't know where he is," one journalist says.

The situation in the office of the PDIP central leadership council is also quiet - only a handful of reporters to be seen in the lobby and on the terrace of the building.

Malu Cursino
Live reporter

Image source, Bagus Muljadi

Dr Bagus Muljadi, an Indonesian academic based at the University of Nottingham, has been telling the BBC that large parts of the Indonesian diaspora based in the UK are content with Prabowo as a presidential candidate.

They believe that if elected he will allow their country to be seen on an equal footing with Western counterparts, he said.

Indonesians in London had to cast their votes on Sunday, and Muljadi worked as a witness to ensure all votes were correctly recorded at the embassy ahead of today's count.

He says one big talking point is the credibility of vice-presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka - the outgoing leader Jokowi's eldest son.

Incumbent president Jokowi ensured his son became Prabowo's running mate through a controversial court ruling. It is controversial because Gibran is under 40 and candidates had to be at least 40 - now, thanks to the courts, they need to be older than 35. Gibran is 36.

But, according to Muljadi, "ideals have to marry the pragmatic" in Indonesia and most people will not question Prabowo's credentials - accepting his experience as "a very well-seasoned politician".

"I think people growingly understand that he [Prabowo] needs this, you know, political transaction [with Jokowi] in order to secure votes," Muljadi adds.

It has just gone 21:30 in Jakarta and 14:30 in London, and ballot counting is under way.

While it could takes weeks for an official result, unofficial figures from pollsters conducting the quick counts are streaming in now.

Here's where things stood at 14:02 GMT.

Image source, .

While the scenes are jubilant at Prabowo Subianto's rally, it's a different tone at one of his rival's gatherings elsewhere in Jakarta.

Prabowo all but claimed victory in his speech but Anies Baswedan's supporters are voicing concerns over the legitimacy of the vote count.

"Fight, fight, fight and win! Fight the cheaters right now...," shouted dozens of his volunteers on stage.

A BBC reporter at the rally says the mood is boisterous.

Anies is in many ways the anti-Jokowi candidate, pledging to undo many of his centrepiece policies. Pre-election day opinion polls had put him in second place.

Silvano Hajid
Jakarta, Indonesia

It's been 30 minutes since Prabowo-Gibran arrived at Istora Senayan [an indoor arena in Jakarta], and he has spent most of that time name-checking people in his speech.

The crowd cheered loudest when he mentioned Titiek Soeharto, his ex-wife and former dictator Suharto’s daughter.

Prabowo also expressed gratitude multiple times, especially when discussing the quick count results.

However, he cautioned supporters not to be arrogant.

"Even though we should be grateful, we must not be arrogant, not euphoric, remain humble; this victory must be a victory for all the people of Indonesia," said Prabowo.

He also mentioned the names of Indonesian presidents, including a note of gratitude to President Joko Widodo.

"I know President Joko Widodo very well. He is an extremely hard-working person, very energetic, ministers are overwhelmed keeping up with him," he told the crowd.

Again, Prabowo-Gibran supporters - mostly also Jokowi’s supporters - immediately erupted in applause, and the stadium echoed with their excitement.

Prabowo Subianto has been addressing a rally in Jakarta alongside his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, saying he is confident of winning the first round of Indonesia's presidential election.

Official results are yet to be tallied, however, and may take weeks.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Muhammad Irham
Reporting from Jakarta

Let's change focus now and hear from someone who does not want Prabowo to win and is worried about the implications for free speech.

Nurma, a Jakarta resident who voted for the Ganjar-Mahfud campaign, tells me she was "deflated and uncomfortable" when he found out early results indicate that Prabowo would win in one round.

She says fellow supporters have been feeling this way since the afternoon, as they saw the scale of the defence minister's lead in unofficial early results becoming clear.

Nurma adds that she cannot stop wondering why Prabowo is seemingly so popular, or what went wrong for her own preferred candidate's campaign.

With the Prabowo-Gibran pairing seemingly on course for victory, the charity worker admits she is worried about what will happen to freedom of speech in the next five years.

Nurma says the current government's track record has been poor, which means many are aware of "the potential risk of challenges" to free expression in Indonesia.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Reuters

We're now hearing a bit more from Prabowo Subianto, who has been addressing crowds in Jakarta, after declaring that quick counts show that he and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka have won in the first round.

"We believe Indonesian democracy is running well," Prabowo says emphatically.

"The people have determined, the people have decided," he adds.

Prabowo Subianto may be confident that his team has won the presidential election in one round, but he has said the country still needs to wait for the official results.

Those may take weeks yet as counting gets under way in this country of 205 million voters.

However, the quick count - which has been done over the last few hours - has been relatively accurate in previous years. That count suggests he has won more than 57% of the vote so far - above the 50% figure needed to avoid a second-round run-off.

Prabowo added that he and his team were confident that Indonesia's democracy was working well, as he vowed to form a government "for all Indonesia".

Image source, Reuters

Prabowo Subianto is now speaking to the crowds gathered at a rally in the capital Jakarta, declaring that all quick counts show that he and his running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, won in a single round.

"This victory is victory for all Indonesians," he told the crowds, according to news agency Reuters.

Quin Pasaribu
Reporting from Jakarta

We've just had an update on the number of election workers who have died in Indonesia, which has risen to at least 10.

One man died while sorting out election logistics in south Papua province - in the far east of Indonesia, officials say.

Another election officer died in a river under a bridge in Bali.

But it's important to note this is still far, far lower than the number of deaths during the last election in 2019. That year, almost 900 election workers died and more than 5,000 fell sick.

Indonesia's health ministry said last month that it will take "preventive measures" to reduce deaths, external like these.

Election across Indonesia's 17,000 islands to reach the more than 205 million eligible voters require a logistical effort of herculean proportions.

Workers have trekked through jungles and rowed boats to deliver ballot boxes to the most remote areas in places like Papua and Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo).

For this they are paid about 1.1 million Indonesian rupiah ($70) a month - lower than the average wage in the capital Jakarta - on top of an allowance for transport and meals.

Our teams on the ground outside the stadium are watching as Prabowo Subianto arrives at the rally to celebrate what is looking more and more like victory for the former general.

The crowd is going mad, screaming and holding up their phones to capture the moment Prabowo and his running mate, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, drive slowly towards the entrance of the stadium where supporters have gathered.

They are expected to speak shortly.

The crowds gathered at the Prabowo-Gribran rally in Jakarta are feeling good, with the solid early (but unofficial) results seemingly showing the pair on course for a single-round victory.

Hundreds of people are packed into an indoor sports arena in the capital city, singing and dancing as they wait for the candidates to arrive:

Indonesia may be busy of counting ballots now, but as we await the results it might be a nice time to look back on how voting unfolded earlier today.

And a fair amount of it can be summed up in one word: colourful.

Election workers pulled out all the stops to boost voter turnout, which include traditional angklung (a percussion instrument made of bamboo) tunes and elaborately decorated polling stations.

The fanfare is befitting of the term "democracy party" (pesta demokrasi), which Indonesians often use to refer to the nation's elections.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Alfonso Dimara/BBC

Prabowo Subianto's supporters have gathered at Istora Senayan, an indoor sporting arena in Jakarta, to celebrate a potential single-round win.

A steady stream of black cars have been pulling up at the stadium, with the BBC's team on the ground saying it feels are getting very close to Prabowo's arrival.

He'll be with his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is outgoing leader Jokowi's eldest son.

Crowds are very focused on the arrivals, as are the media waiting by the cordon.

How much longer they will have to wait for the man they want to lead the country to join them remains to be seen.

Image source, BBC/Caroline Brockelbank

Image source, BBC/Caroline Brockelbank

Let's take a closer look at Indonesia itself for those unfamiliar with this part of the world.

Indonesia is one of the largest counties on earth, both in terms of its physical size and population.

It uses three time zones, given its 17,000 islands are spread a distance wider than Europe or the continental US.

To give you a sense of the scale of the landmass of the country, this map shows some of the major islands where about 275 million people live:

Image source, .