Jokowi will complete his second and final term in October of next year but the involvement of his sons in politics leading into the presidential election on Feb. 14 has raised eyebrows in a country that broke free of authoritarian rule 25 years ago.

The President laughed when a reporter asked for his response to the allegations during his visit to a rice harvest in Indramayu, West Java.

"Just leave it to the people," he said.

As political parties search for the strongest candidates to nominate for the 2024 presidential election, the children of Jokowi and other former presidents have been floated as presidential and vice presidential candidates, sparking criticism that the politicians are simply keen to build their own political dynasty, instead of supporting a free and fair election. 

Read also: Presidential contenders jostle for support in East Java

Jokowi’s eldest son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is mayor of Surakarta, Central Java, has been touted as a vice presidential candidate for Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, currently a frontrunner in the presidential election.

The race to lead the world's third-largest democracy is dominated by three men: Prabowo, former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan. The three and their running mates are expected to register as candidates from Oct. 19 to 25.

Jokowi said on Friday that he hadn’t talked politics with Gibran in a long time, including any plans to have him serve as Prabowo’s running mate.

"I haven't seen him in months," he said.

Indonesia has a record of dynastic politics. During the 32-year rule of strongman president Soeharto, his eldest daughter served as a cabinet minister. Prabowo, who is a former son-in-law of Soeharto, was a rising star in the military, becoming a three-star general at a young age, before the dictator’s fall in 1998.

The daughter of Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, Megawati Sukarnoputri, served as president and leads the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the biggest party in the House of Representatives. Her daughter, Puan Maharani, is the House speaker.

Earlier this year, Megawati had intended to nominate Puan as the PDI-P presidential candidate but later dropped the plan after seeing that party member Ganjar, who also once served as a lawmaker representing the party, was faring better in public opinion polls.

Read also: Jokowi says Sukarno family members fit to lead PDI-P

Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had earlier backed Anies, a former education minister in Jokowi administration, in the hope that Anies and the political parties that supported him would pick his son, Democratic Party chairman Agus Yudhoyono, as their vice presidential candidate. The plan was shattered when the NasDem Party, the leader of Anies’ political camp, picked National Awakening Party (PKB) chairman Muhaimin Iskandar as Anies’ running mate.

The rush of top-ranking politicians seeking to field their children in the upcoming presidential election has triggered criticism from other politicians and observers. The latest expression of disapproval came from former vice president Jusuf Kalla, who called the tendency “politik sayang anak” (love your child politics).

Gibran is now 35 years old, and he cannot run in the presidential election because current regulations stipulate that the minimum age for vice presidential candidates is 40.

The Constitutional Court is expected to issue a ruling next week that could lower the age minimum for vice presidential candidates from 40 to 35, a decision that could pave the way for Gibran to run alongside Prabowo.

Prabowo topped a public opinion survey published earlier this month with 34 percent of respondents saying they would vote for him for president. Ganjar came in second place with 30 percent, while Anies trailed with 22 percent. 

Jokowi has not directly expressed his support for Gibran to run alongside Prabowo.

The President’s youngest son, Kaesang Pangarep, meanwhile, was named leader of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) last month just days after joining, while his son-in-law is the mayor of Medan, North Sumatra.

Jokowi's vast volunteer network indicated on Thursday that it would endorse Prabowo for the February election, in the strongest signal yet the President is backing his erstwhile rival.

Responding to the possibility of running for vice president on Prabowo’s ticket, Gibran said it would be up to the people to decide if he was fit to serve, as when the voters in Surakarta elected him to office.

"Being given a ticket, or being welcomed with a red carpet, being afforded privileges – if the people don't vote for me, then I will lose. The final decision will be made by the people, the public," Gibran said, as quoted by Tempo daily on Thursday.

He also noted that he had undergone a thorough vetting process for the position of Surakarta mayor.

"We went through everything, the fit and proper test, but the final verdict is with the people," he said.