Jakarta has been called to unify following the defeat of its Christian governor in a divisive election that some believe sets a dangerous precedent for the "politicisation of religion" in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
Once seen as a political "rock star" by his opponents, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama - commonly referred to as Ahok, conceded defeat on Wednesday afternoon after several quick counts had him trailing behind former education minister Anies Baswedan.
"To my supporters, you must be sad, disappointed. But it's okay. Trust me, power is God given and God taken," he said amid clapping.
After offering his congratulations to Baswedan and his running mate - businessman and multi-millionaire Sandiago Uno, Ahok said he will continue to work hard to improve Jakarta before handing over the office in six months time.
The call of unity was echoed by Indonesia's Vice President Jusuf Kalla who said the result should mark the end of divisions within the 10 million-strong capital.
"Starting today, all problems are finished. There's no more religion problem, there's no more ideology problem," he told reporters.
Tobias Basuki from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, however, believes the results point to a deeper problem and does not bode well for the future of politics in Indonesia.
Throughout the campaign Ahok has been the target of hardline Islamic groups who launched large-scale protests against him and urged supporters not to vote for a non-Muslim.
He also faced a blasphemy trial after comments he made referring to the Koran.
Basuki pointed to the "politicisation of religion" as a major factor behind the election result, which was not as close as polls had predicted.
"If they offer them heaven and then threaten them hell if they vote for Ahok, I don't blame them for voting for Anies. The blame is on the politicisation of religion, not Jakarta voters," he told AAP.
Associate Professor at ANU College of Asia and the Pacific, Dr Marcus Mietzner said the politicisation of religion had been facilitated by the "Islamists' increasing organisational capacity, enhanced alliance-building with mainstream politicians, better access to funds, and effective social media campaigning".
While he says there is no evidence the broader population has become more conservative, "the segment of militant Islamists is becoming more assertive" and their influence on elite processes, like elections, is increasing.
Ahok's loss may make it harder for President Joko Widodo, who handed over the governorship to him after he took the top job in the country in 2014.
Baswedan and Uno are backed by politician and businessman Prabowo Subianto, who lost to Widodo in the last national election and is tipped to try again in 2019.
Either way, Jakarta's outcome is likely to point to an uglier campaign in 2019, Dr Mietzner and Basuki said.
As for Ahok, he faces another battle on Thursday when prosecutors are set to outline what sentence they want to court to hand down for alleged blasphemy over comments he made referring to the Koran.
