Release time： 2017-02-15 00:00:00 View count： 857
Residents of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, are voting for a new governor, in an election overshadowed by the incumbent's blasphemy trial.
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as "Ahok", is the first Christian and ethnic Chinese leader of the majority Muslim city in more than 50 years.
He is on trial for insulting Islam, after he accused his opponents of using the Koran to mislead voters.
Tens of millions of Indonesians will also be voting in regional elections.
Voting started at 07:00 local time in elections for the leaders of seven provinces, 18 cities and for the local leaders of 76 districts.
REUTERS
The election in Jakarta is seen as a test of religious tolerance in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation. About 85% of the population are Muslim, but the country officially respects six religions.
It is Mr Purnama's first electoral test as governor, a role he stepped into from the deputy position in 2014 when then-governor Joko Widodo became president.
He was seen as the favourite to win - and as a potential future president - until he was charged with blasphemy in late 2016, a criminal offence in Indonesia.
AFP
EPA
The case centres on comments he made to voters in pre-campaigning, advising them not to be fooled by religious leaders who told them Muslims should not be governed by a non-Muslim.
When his trial opened in late December, Mr Purnama denied blasphemy, saying his comments were aimed at politicians "incorrectly" using the Koran against him. If convicted, he faces a maximum five-year jail sentence.
Security is high in the capital, which has seen repeated angry protests against the governor, led by the hardline Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).