Speaking following a meeting between party leaders in the eight-way alliance backing his presidential bid on Sunday night, Prabowo said all eight parties in the Indonesia Onward Coalition (KIM) had reached “a unanimous consensus” on nominating Gibran as his running mate.

Gibran, who has served as Surakarta mayor since 2020, a position once held by his father, was not seen during the announcement.

Earlier on Sunday, Jokowi signaled his “blessing” for the idea of pairing Gibran with Prabowo, which has been gaining traction following a controversial court ruling that effectively removed the legal barrier for Gibran to contest the presidential election.

Jokowi said he had no intention to meddle with the affairs of political parties, while also stressing that Gibran was old enough to make his own decision. “[Picking presidential pairings] is the authority of a political party or a coalition of parties, not the President’s,” Jokowi said on Sunday on the sidelines of an event in Surabaya, East Java. “As a parent, our task is only to pray and give our approval [to our children].”

The idea of having Gibran run as Prabowo’s VP candidate has stirred the political pot, with many of Jokowi’s most ardent supporters accusing the President of trying to build a political dynasty. The pair will also have to come up against the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), which has served as the President’s political vehicle for two decades and which has nominated Ganjar Pranowo and Mahfud MD as its presidential and vice-presidential nominees.

Consolidating support