Teary Megawati accepts poll result
 |  An official announces a vote for Yudhoyono as he shows the ballot to witnesses. |
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 Yudhoyono becomes Indonesia's first directly elected president in a landslide win.
 What's next for Indonesia?
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has tearfully accepted the result of the country's first direct presidential elections.
In a rapid rise to power, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won a landslide victory and has promised to inject fresh life into the economy and fight corruption.
"Whoever has been chosen, we must graciously accept it, because the victory is a victory for all of us," Megawait said to applause from those present, including Yudhoyono.
"We have succeeded in concluding a national task ... for the first time in the history of the Indonesian republic we have chosen a president and vice president directly in an orderly and safe manner," she sobbed.
Indonesia's independent election commission said Monday the former security minister won 60.6 percent of the ballot to Megawati's 39.4 percent in the world's third largest democracy.
According to the results, U.S.-educated Yudhoyono beat Megawati by around 25 million votes. More than 116 million people voted.
Foreign and local election observers have said there are no major irregularities that should affect the overall result.
In brief remarks earlier to reporters, Yudhoyono did not explicitly declare victory but spoke just after preliminary final numbers had shown the magnitude of his win in the run-off.
"If that is the result, I thank the people of Indonesia and will soon form the next government and formulate a 100-day program," Reuters quoted Yudhoyono as saying near his home south of Jakarta.
Yudhoyono asked the international community to work with the world's most populous Muslim nation. He did not elaborate, but the nation of 210 million people is on the frontline in the war on terrorism after some of the deadliest attacks since the September 11, 2001 strikes in the U.S.
After a 32-year dictatorship, Indonesia has stumbled through four presidents in six years. Under Suharto's dictatorship, lawmakers acted as an electoral college, choosing the president.
Yudhoyono left his post as security minister under Megawati in March after a public dispute over his political ambitions.
Yudhoyono, who earned a doctorate on Saturday from the prestigious Bogor Institute of Agriculture, will be sworn in on October 20 to become the fifth president in six years.
One of Yudhoyono's most serious challenges is to merge Indonesia's old system of party politics with the direct vote, leaving the former security chief with a fractured government.
A new Parliament will be sworn in on Friday, but the strongest and most entrenched political parties are in disarray, part of a coalition which backed Megawati.
Analysts say it may take months for political parties to reorganize and appoint new leaders leaving an opening for Yudhoyono to establish himself and move swiftly with an agenda for change.
Yudhoyono has said his Cabinet would mostly comprise professionals, unlike previous governments that drew heavily from Indonesia's major political parties, hindering cohesion and sparking division.
"The problems we face are complex, and we will tackle them one by one. We will work hard to solve them, and we will all need to work together," Yudhoyono has said.
Security draw
Pre-election polls had shown Yudhoyono, who has a masters degree in management, with a massive lead, with many Indonesians talking about their hopes for change.
"We want real change," Ibu Musti told CNN. "We chose Yudhoyono because we want change."
While both contenders were nearly identical on many issues, the upstart Yudhoyono put security at the top of his campaign agenda after three major attacks in the nation in two years.
Apart from security, analysts have said Yudhoyono's biggest draw is the electorate's dissatisfaction with Megawati's performance over the last three years.
The former military general is seen as a strong, decisive and capable leader.
On the other hand, analysts said 57-year-old Megawati lost her supporters' hopes for a better future through weak leadership and lack of political will.
Megawati will be the first leader held accountable by Indonesian voters and punished, analysts say, for her lackluster leadership.
Jakarta stocks ended 2.5 percent higher at a record close on expectations Yudhoyono would name a strong Cabinet.
CNN Jakarta Bureau Chief Maria Ressa contributed to this report.
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Associated Press contributed to this report.
