Jakarta. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has congratulated on Sunday President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their victory in the 2020 United States presidential election. 

Jokowi joined other Group of 20 leaders like German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who congratulated Biden and Harris, despite President Donald Trump refusal to concede the election. 

"My warmest congratulations Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, on your historic election. The huge turnout is a reflection of the hope placed on democracy," Jokowi said in his tweet on Sunday.

My warmest congratulations @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris on your historic election. The huge turn out is a reflection of the hope placed on democracy. pic.twitter.com/Neai7coU6j

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— Joko Widodo (@jokowi) November 8, 2020

The Washington Post and Edison Research projected 66.4 percent of the total number of eligible US voters participated in the Nov 3 election. That would be the highest participation rate since 1960 of 63.8 percent. The participation was higher in the 1900s, but there were fewer voters at that time, and women did not have the right to vote. 

Jokowi said in the subsequent tweet that he looks forward "to work closely with you in strengthening Indonesia-US strategic partnership and pushing forward our cooperation on economy, democracy and multilateralism for the benefit of our two people and beyond." 

Look forward to work closely with you in strengthening Indonesia-US strategic partnership and pushing forward our cooperation on economy, democracy and multilateralism for the benefit of our two people and beyond 🇮🇩🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/vxLCDwQxHL

— Joko Widodo (@jokowi) November 8, 2020

Experts have suggested that Indonesia stands to benefit from the geopolitical rivalry between the US and China that will continue beyond Trump's presidency. The US is Indonesia's largest trading partner outside Asia and traditionally the biggest investment source in its natural resource sectors. 

Historic Win

The states have counted around 144 million votes or about 61.8 percent of the total number of voters as of Sunday, with swing states like Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Georgia are still finishing counting absentee ballots delivered by mail. 

Still, as it stands now, Biden has more than 74 million popular votes, and with less than a few hundred thousand ballots remain to be counted, the US media called Biden's victory. The Associated Press projected the former vice-president during Barrack Obama's presidency would get at least electoral colleges to 273, just above the required 270 to win the election. 

Biden will be the second Catholic to sit in the majority Protestants nation's presidential office after John F. Kennedy claimed the office in 1961. Harris will be the first woman, first black, and first Asian descent to become the US vice president.

In his tweets on Sunday, President Trump said that he won the 2020 election and claimed without evidence that Biden only led in the election due to illegal ballots.