Joko Widodo at a campaign rally in Jakarta (Reuters)
But his rival Prabowo Subianto, a former general, declared victory an hour later, also using the combined name of the presidential ticket.
'[The quick counts] show that we, Prabowo-Hatta, have received the support and mandate from the people of Indonesia,' Mr Prabowo said.
Both sides have to wait until that announcement before they can register any protests with the Constitutional Court, the final arbiter over contested polls.
'There have always been challenges...So we could end up with delayed certainty for a few weeks,' Douglas Ramage, a Jakarta-based political analyst said.
Ahead of the vote, the two candidates had been neck and neck in opinion polls.
There have been concerns of violence once the result is known, a worry alluded to by outgoing president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono when he urged both sides to accept the result.
It has been the dirtiest and most confrontational campaign in memory.
But there were no reports of any violence during the voting and in the early hours of counting.
The government declared Wednesday a public holiday and markets were closed although offshore rupiah rose against the dollar on Jokowi's victory claim.
'This is one of the most important elections in Indonesia's reformation history,' Bernard Wanandi, 37, said at a polling station in Menteng, a Jakarta suburb. 'As a young generation, we have high expectations of the new leader, hoping he will bring the country forward and change the country tremendously.'
The election is being held during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the country with the world's biggest population of Muslims.
There has been growing frustration over the way Indonesia, southeast Asia's biggest economy, has been governed with corruption rampant and growth slowing.
It is a sentiment both candidates have addressed in their campaigns, although they offer starkly different personalities.
Jokowi, 53 and born into poverty, has stormed his way to the top rungs of leadership with a clean image and a reputation for competence in local government, a reversal of the autocracy, corruption and power politics that have weighed down Indonesia for decades.
Considered Indonesia's most popular politician, Jokowi's once insurmountable lead in opinion polls all but disappeared in recent weeks in the face of smear campaigns and expensive and intensely focused electioneering by Prabowo.
Prabowo, 62, ran on the promise of strong, tough leadership, playing up his military past and invoking memories of Indonesia's post-colonial and fiercely nationalist first president Sukarno, who ruled from 1945-67.
Prabowo's high-profile military career, during which he rose speedily through the ranks, unravelled quickly after the 1998 fall of long-serving autocrat Suharto, his former father-in-law.
'I just voted for Prabowo because I've been promised by his party they will pay for my children's education. I personally like him because he is the former son-in-law of Suharto,' said housewife Titi Rahayati, 49, in the West Java city of Tasikmalaya.
West Java, the most populous province with a fifth of the total vote, could decide the presidential race. It is home to a highly conservative brand of Islam and is the country's second largest rice producer.
Polls ahead of the election showed that Prabowo, who has the backing of three major Islamic-based parties, lead the province.
Prabowo was discharged from the army for breaking the chain of command and ordering troops to arrest activists. He was never investigated on any criminal charge and has consistently denied wrongdoing.
The election will mark the first time a directly elected president hands over the reins to another. Outgoing President Yudhoyono, who has largely disappointed in recent years, must step down in October after serving two terms.
A Prabowo win is expected to weaken markets due to concerns he will introduce protectionist policies in the financial and farm sectors, and launch big debt-funded spending projects.
'I hope the new leader will be better than the past and doesn't make empty promises,' said Nunu, 54, in Menteng. 'In the past they never fulfilled any promises.'
Entities 0 Name: Indonesia Count: 6 1 Name: West Java Count: 2 2 Name: Jakarta Count: 2 3 Name: Suharto Count: 2 4 Name: Menteng Count: 2 5 Name: Prabowo Count: 2 6 Name: Jokowi Count: 2 7 Name: Prabowo Subianto Count: 1 8 Name: Asia Count: 1 9 Name: Reuters Count: 1 10 Name: Sukarno Count: 1 11 Name: Titi Rahayati Count: 1 12 Name: Constitutional Court Count: 1 13 Name: Yudhoyono Count: 1 14 Name: Joko Widodo Count: 1 15 Name: Bernard Wanandi Count: 1 16 Name: Prabowo-Hatta Count: 1 17 Name: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Count: 1 18 Name: Tasikmalaya Count: 1 19 Name: Nunu Count: 1 20 Name: Ramadan Count: 1 21 Name: Douglas Ramage Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/1pYC6EN Title: Indonesians vote for new president, choice between old guard and new breed Description: Credit: Reuters/Darren Whiteside Indonesian presidential candidate Joko ''Jokowi'' Widodo runs on the stage after delivering a speech in front of his supporters at Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta July 5, 2014. Only the third direct election for president in the world's fourth-most populous nation, the contest pits former special forces general Prabowo Subianto against Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, who have been running neck-and-neck in opinion polls.
