Factbox: Indonesians elect a president

(Reuters) - Indonesia's third direct presidential election kicked off on Wednesday. The race to lead Southeast Asia's biggest economy is closely contested by ex-general Prabowo Subianto and Jakarta governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is in the last year of his second term and is barred by the constitution from running again. DATES July 9 - Presidential election. Vote counting starts after polls close at 0600 GMT (2 a.m. EDT). July 9 - Independent agencies provide a quick tally of votes counted across the country, by around 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT) Although not official, their tally has been accurate in the past. July 21-22 - Official results announced July 23-25 - Candidates can take election disputes to the Constitutional Court Aug. 22 - Constitutional Court announces a decision if the result is challenged Oct. 20 - New president inaugurated PRESIDENTIAL TICKETS Prabowo, 62, is a former special forces commander running with Hatta Rajasa, former chief economics minister, as his vice presidential candidate. They are backed by a coalition of six political parties, which represent nearly 60 percent of total votes from April's legislative election. Jokowi, 53, is the governor of Jakarta running with former vice-president Jusuf Kalla. The coalition backing them has four parties, which represent 40 percent of total votes from April's legislative election. REQUIREMENTS A presidential ticket needs a simple majority to win. The cabinet should be formed within 14 days after the president is inaugurated in October. NUMBERS Total registered voters: 190.3 million Of the total, 29 percent are aged 17-29 years. Eleven percent will vote for the first time. April's parliamentary election saw a 75 percent voter turnout, compared with 71 percent in 2009. Sources: Indonesian General Elections Commission and International Foundation for Electoral Systems (Compiled by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)