Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, and also the youngest among the vice presidential candidates, will be in the spotlight as he faces his rivals in Friday's prime-time election debate that will focus on economic matters.

There has been a lot of anticipation surrounding Friday’s debate as it will see Gibran, the 36-year old mayor of Surakarta, Central Java, participate in such a forum for the first time and go head-to-head with more experienced rivals Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD and seasoned politician Muhaimin Iskandar.

Unlike the two other candidates, Gibran has been notably avoiding public debates since announcing his vice presidential bid alongside frontrunner Prabowo Subianto in late October, casting doubt on his readiness to take the national stage and for the nation’s second-most senior position.

Analysts said that following last week’s heated first debate among the three presidential candidates, it was inevitable that Friday’s debate would see Gibran taking more heat than the other two candidates.

“Mahfud and Muhaimin will likely go after Gibran knowing that he is the one with the least experience in public debate to slow his and Prabowo’s campaign momentum,” analyst Agung Baskoro said.

The latest opinion polls conducted during the first week of campaigning, have placed Prabowo comfortably ahead of his opponents, leaving Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan battling for a runoff spot.

But Friday’s debate can give Gibran, culinary businessman turned politician, the opportunity to rise from his underdog status given that issues of the economy are not Mahfud or Muhaimin’s strong suit.

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