Indonesia election 2024: Prabowo’s VP pick of Jokowi’s son could be double-edged sword, analysts warn
- The ruling PDI-P could use Gibran’s political inexperience and call to preserve Indonesia’s democracy as a way to weaken Prabowo’s campaign, observers say
- Gibran’s nomination as Prabowo’s running mate also shows Widodo viewed Prabowo as the man to ‘continue and preserve his legacy’
Indonesian presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto’s bid to capitalise on incumbent leader Joko Widodo’s popularity by picking his son as a running mate may be a double-edged sword in his third bid for the top job, observers say.
Defence Minister Prabowo has been narrowly leading recent opinion surveys for the February 2024 presidential election. While running with the popular president’s son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, could help increase Prabowo’s chances of victory, the move could also backfire on him.
The pairing stands to ruffle some feathers in Indonesia’s political scene, particularly within the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to which both Widodo and his son belong.
PDI-P has nominated its own candidate for president, former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, who registered his candidacy with Security Minister Mahfud MD last week. Behind the two in opinion surveys is Anies Baswedan, the ex-Jakarta governor, with former minister Muhaimin Iskandar as his running mate.
Widodo, who does not belong to a party created by him, has used the PDI-P as a political vehicle during his time in power over the past decade.
But the choice of Gibran as Prabowo’s running mate may not sit well with the PDI-P, amid reports of tensions in the past few months between Widodo and Megawati Sukarnoputri, former Indonesian president and PDI-P’s chairwoman.
Analysts say the party does not want to be seen as feeble in the face of political manoeuvring by its own cadres, but it is also keenly aware that maintaining a good relationship with Widodo is important for continued political stability.