Indonesians headed to the polls on Wednesday to cast their votes from among 200,000 candidates in 12 different parties, all of whom were vying for more than 19,000 positions in the country's elections.

This is Indonesia's fourth election since the fall of autocrat Suharto in 1998, and the third elections for the country's president.

Of those 200,000 candidates, 6,607 competed for 560 seats in the House of Representatives, 945 seats in the national regional representatives council (the country's Senate equivalent) and the rest for local councils, culminating in a massive exercise of democracy.

According to early polling results from the Indonesian Survey Circle in Jakarta, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (also known as PDI-P) was leading with about 20% of the vote. The party's presidential candidate, Joko Widodo — or Jokowi, as he is affectionately known — is expected to win on July 9.

The Golkar party received around 15% of the vote, followed by the Great Indonesia Movement Party with 12%. The Indonesian Survey Circle used random samples from 2,000 polling stations in the country's 33 provinces to determine the early results. The official results won't be announced until May, but these early counts from the group are considered reliable.

Indonesia is the world’s third-largest democracy, behind India and the United States, with 186 million eligible voters and around 75% participation — an increase from the 70% voter turnout in 2009.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta, the increase in turnout might be credited to the "Jokowi effect," as the PDI-P presidential candidate has proved popular among Indonesians.

"There is no political figure who deserves to get my vote but Jokowi," Titis Astrini, a 29-year-old Muslim voter, told the Associated Press. "So for the first time, I will vote for his party."

Indonesia Elections

1. A Muslim woman casts her ballot at a kindergarten turned into a polling station during the parliamentary election in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, on April 9.

   Image: Heri Juanda/Associated Press

2. Electoral workers wait for voters to cast their ballots at a polling station next to a railway track in Jakarta.

   Image: Tatan Syuflana/Associated Press

3. Indonesians vote in booths during the parliamentary election at a polling station in Jakarta, Indonesia.

   Image: Dita Alangkara/Associated Press

4. An An-Nadzir Muslim shows his inked finger after casting his ballot at a polling station during the parliamentary election in Gowa, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

   Image: Masyudi S. Firmansyah/Associated Press

5. Indonesia, the world's third-largest democracy, holds its legislative elections.

   Image: Tatan Syuflana/Associated Press

6. Indonesian presidential candidate Joko Widodo and his wife, Iriana Joko Widodo, show their ink-stained fingers after casting their ballot at a polling station in Jakarta.

   Image: Achmad Ibrahim/Associated Press

7. A Muslim woman casts her ballot at a polling station outside a mosque during the parliamentary election in Aceh Besar, Indonesia.

   Image: Heri Juanda/Associated Press

8. An Indonesian mother votes while carrying her child during the legislative election in Lumajang in eastern Java island.

   Image: AMAN ROCHMAN/AFP/Getty Images

9. An Indonesian man inks his finger after casting his ballot for Indonesia's legislative elections. Polling stations shut at 1 p.m. local time on Wednesday, with the counting of around 186 million votes beginning immediately.

   Image: Bayu Pamungkas/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

10. Villagers wait for their turn to vote during Indonesian parliamentary elections at a polling station in Pintu Mbesi, North Sumatra.

    Image: Binsar Bakkara/Associated Press

11. An Indonesian man checks the candidates' photos and names as he casts his ballot at a polling station in Bali, Indonesia.

    Image: Firdia Lisnawati/Associated Press

12. Elderly women check the name lists of parliamentary candidates at a polling station in Bali, Indonesia.

    Image: Firdia Lisnawati/Associated Press

13. Election officers in traditional Javanese costume prepare paper ballots for vote count at a polling station in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

    Image: Ulet Ifansasti/Getty Images

14. An election volunteer shows a ballot to witnesses while counting ballots for the parliamentary elections in Jakarta.

    Image: Achmad Ibrahim/Associated Press

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