World’s first metalhead president

Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was declared the winner of Indonesia's presidential election on Tuesday, bringing the promise of major reforms to the world's third largest democracy.

The 53-year-old president-elect has been hailed as being of a new breed of politician as opposed to members of the political or military elite who have traditionally dominated Indonesia's leadership.

But how different he truly is from his defeated opponent Prabowo Subianto, a former special forces commander with a shadowy human rights reputation, was revealed to the world when Randy Blythe, the vocalist for Lamb of God, congratulated Joko on his victory on his personal blog.

“Wow. A metalhead president - who would have thought? Amazing,”

It turns out that President-elect Joko is a die-hard fan of metal, and has been so since the age of 14.

The ‘metalhead’ politician is immensely popular among Indonesian youth, and has been seen frequently at metal concerts.

“The world's first heavy metal president!” Blythe wrote in his post. He noted that Joko was the only world leader who appreciated heavy metal music.

“Can you imagine it? This is the only president in the world with whom you can sit down and argue about which Slayer record is the best.”

Joko has told the media that he is a fan of Metallica, Napalm Death and Led Zeppelin. Recently he has also said that he believes the Indonesian government should be more supportive of popular culture and heavy music in particular.

Indonesia, although a Muslim majority nation and generally more inclined towards conservative values, has a burgeoning metal scene.

In 2013, Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo gave Joko a maroon Ibanez guitar with his autograph. But it was later confiscated by the Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission because no public official is allowed to accept gifts that are valued at over $34.

The Elections Commission, known as KPU, said Joko won by just over six percentage points, with 53.15 percent of the nearly 130 million votes cast on July 9.

It was the closest and most bitterly fought election in Indonesia's history.

"This victory is a victory for all the people of Indonesia," the president-elect told hundreds of supporters gathered at a port on the outskirts of the capital Jakarta, chosen to emphasise his commitment to Indonesia's maritime potential.

"With humility, we ask the people...to go back to a united Indonesia," he added.

The United States, which sees Indonesia as an increasingly important partner in Asia in the face of growing Chinese power and assertiveness, was quick to offer congratulations.

Joko's can-do approach, impatience with bureaucracy and willingness to communicate directly with ordinary people has won him a huge following in a country where close to 40 percent of the population live below or close to the poverty line.

A former furniture businessman, Joko has had a meteoric rise through Indonesia's political establishment.

Born into poverty but now governor of Jakarta, he won over voters with a clean image and a reputation for competence in local government, in contrast to the autocracy, corruption and power politics that have weighed down the country for decades.

One of his first challenges will be to cut into fuel subsidies which distort the economy and eat up about a fifth of the annual budget.