Indonesian presidential hopeful Joko Widodo urged his supporters Thursday to carefully monitor vote-counting in a bitterly fought election amid concerns about cheating, a day after both he and his rival declared victory.

Both candidates claimed to have won the poll in the world's third-biggest democracy based on unofficial tallies, but Jakarta governor Widodo had the backing of more – and more credible – polling agencies.

Prabowo made his own declaration of victory around an hour after Widodo made his.

Prabowo, 62, however, insisted that – lesser-known – survey agencies followed by his camp gave him a narrow lead.

Should he be declared the official winner, 53-year-old Widodo is expected to usher in a new leadership style and consolidate democracy.

Some 190 million voters were eligible to cast ballots in Indonesia's third direct presidential election since the end of authoritarian rule.

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