JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono held a commanding lead in national elections Wednesday, according to the latest exit polls. A woman votes at a polling station in Indonesia. An average of six exit polls showed the incumbent holding about 60 percent of the vote compared to 27 percent for former President Megawati Sukarnoputri and 12 percent for Yudhoyono's vice president, Yusuf Kalla. Official results are expected no sooner than next week. Indonesia has 175 million registered voters spread over 17,000 islands. It was the country's second direct election since the authoritarian regime of dictator Suharto fell in 1998, in the wake of the Asian financial crisis.
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NEW: Polls close; Official results expected no sooner than next week
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Three familiar faces competed: current president, his deputy and an ex-president
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Analysts and polls have Yudhoyono (known as SBY) tipped to win a second term
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SBY is riding high on the country's economic strength
@placeholder had hoped voters would give him some of the credit for Indonesia's economic successes which occurred under his term as vice president.
Growth topped 6 percent last year, and Indonesia was the fastest-growing economy in southeast @placeholder in the first quarter of this year.