Ex-general wins Indonesian polls

The commission was officially to announce the final result around 7:00 pm (1200 GMT).

Asked by reporters if Yudhoyono and Megawati will be first and second, Mulyana Kusumah replied "We can say so."

He gave no percentages. But partial results have consistently shown that Yudhoyono won 34 percent of the vote on July 5 compared to 26 percent for incumbent Megawati and 22 percent for another ex-general Wiranto.

Wiranto will drop out of the race to lead the world's fourth most populous country.

The result was delayed several hours after a bomb rocked the election commission offices, heightening security fears in the eight-week runup to the vote between the top two candidates.

Police said no one was hurt and damage was slight in the firecracker-type blast in a women's toilet. But Yudhoyono, who would have needed more than 50 percent of the vote to avoid the runoff, appealed for tighter security.

"There is still time to save this elections process which will go to the second round," he said.

"Don't let it (bombing) happen in another place," said the man who led the country's fight against terrorism when he was Megawati's security minister.

"If they are living in anxiety, it can influence the people in casting their votes, in doing the right thing in accordance with their conscience."

Wiranto, who stood for the Golkar party of former dictator Suharto, has challenged his third placing. He claims the vote was flawed and his supporters say they may go to court to contest the result.

Any legal challenge would further intensify political uncertainty in Indonesia, which has been preoccupied with elections for almost the entire year. Separate legislative polls were held on April 5, with Golkar topping the vote.

"The president has instructed us to get the perpetrator soon and prevent similar incidents taking place again," said national police chief Dai Bachtiar of the explosion, the third low-level blast in less than two weeks in the country.