Indonesia is gearing up for the presidential election on July 9. Although the largest South-East Asian nation has been a presidential republic since 1945 (with only a brief interval in the 1950s), this is just the third time that its top leader is to be elected by popular vote. Incumbent President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (or SBY for short), who won the races in 2004 and 2009, is constitutionally barred from seeking a third term in office. After 10 years in power he will have to leave the presidential palace.
Just a few months ago, the result of the vote seemed to be pre-destined. According to public opinion polls, a mass of Indonesians pinned their hopes on the 53-year-old Jakarta Governor named Joko Widodo.