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Gibran gains traction as potential VP candidate for 2024
The political star of the President's eldest son and mayor of the Widodo family's hometown of Surakarta appears to be rising steadily in light of the Constitutional Court's impending decision on maintaining or lowering the age limit for candidates.
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Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, addresses a press conference on July 17, 2020 at the local office of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) in the Central Java city. (Antara/Mohammad Ayudha)
G
ibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, appears to be gaining nationwide attention as a potential candidate for vice president as parties hint at possibly putting him on a list ahead of a Constitutional Court ruling on the age of candidacy.
The possibility of the 35-year-old Surakarta mayor joining next year's presidential election has recently gained traction among both political parties and the public as the court reviews the General Elections Law over whether or not to lower the minimum age requirements for candidates from 40 to 35.
The ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which counts both the President and his son among its members, is mulling over the possibility of pairing Gibran with the party’s presumptive nominee, outgoing Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.
"We are watching [the judicial review] closely. If the court decides that there can be vice presidential candidates under the age of 40, then Gibran could have a chance at running," Puan Maharani, the PDI-P executive in charge of electoral strategy and daughter of chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri, said last Thursday.
If the court rules to lower the age of candidacy, Gibran will be up against five more experienced politicians on the shortlist of Ganjar’s running mate: Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, Democratic Party chair and former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s eldest son Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono, National Awakening Party (PKB) chair Muhaimin Iskandar and former Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. (ret) Andika Perkasa.
But the food entrepreneur turned politician has gained wider public support as a vice presidential candidate, ranking among the top six hopefuls with 7.6 percent electability, according to an early July survey by the Indonesia Survey Institute (LSI).
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