Indonesia's presidential candidate Prabowo picks president's son as election running mate

Indonesia's presidential candidate and defence minister Prabowo Subianto on Sunday (Oct 22) announced that he has chosen President Joko Widodo's eldest son to be his running mate in the elections next year.

The selection of 36-year-old Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who is currently holding the position of Surakarta city's mayor, as a candidatefor the position of vice president for which the voting will be held in February has attracted criticism that Widodo is trying to establish a political dynasty in the third-largest democracy of the world.

"By consensus, everyone agrees to support Prabowo Subianto as the presidential candidate and Gibran Rakabuming Raka as the vice presidential candidate," stated Subianto, while speaking outside his residence in the capital Jakarta.

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His party coalition's representatives known as Advanced Indonesia was standing behind him when he was making the announcement. This came after a controversial court decision this week ruled that anyone who has been elected to public office is free to run for the presidency and vice presidency.

This ruling was given by Chief Justice Anwar Usman, who is brother-in-law of Widodo. Raka represents the ruling party of his father Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) but Widodo has clarified that he does not aim to dominate the politics of the country, further insisting that it is the people's right to choose the next leader and vice president of the country.

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PDI-P nominates Ganjar Pranowo

Former governor of Central Java Ganjar Pranowo, who chose chief security minister Mahfud MD as his running mate, was nominated by PDI-P. This will be the third time Subianto will run for the position of president after losing to Widodo in the last two elections.

Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan will be the third challenger for the presidency. He has been favoured by conservative Islamist factions and Muslims in the Muslim-majority country.

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On February 14, more than 204 million eligible voters are likely to cast their ballot. The next chosen president will take over from Jokowi, who has served two terms in office since he was first elected in 2014.

Till October 25, candidate registration is open and the swearing-in ceremony of the next president will take place next October, said the elections commission.

(With inputs from agencies)

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