Indonesia's Islamic parties surprise with strong showing in election

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's Islamic political parties are poised to grab a larger-than-expected share of the vote in Wednesday's general election, indicating a loyal following in the world's most populous Muslim nation despite a spate of corruption scandals.

The country's five Islamic-based national parties looked to have grabbed a combined 32 percent share of the national vote, performing slightly better than in the last parliamentary election in 2009, according to a quick count by think-tank CSIS.