Candidate vying to be Jakarta governor denies pandering to Islamists

Jakarta

A FORMER education minister in Muslim-majority Indonesia facing a run-off vote against a Christian to be Jakarta governor, on Tuesday denied pandering to Islamists to win support and said he could unite the capital after a divisive election.

Anies Baswedan is set to take on Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Jakarta's first Christian and ethnic Chinese governor, in a second-round vote on April 19. Mr Purnama got the most votes in a first round, on Feb 15, but not by enough to avoid a run-off, unofficial counts show.