Indonesia’s leading presidential hopeful picks Widodo’s son to run for VP in 2024 election

By NINIEK KARMINI
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s leading presidential hopeful has named outgoing President Joko Widodo’s eldest son as his running mate in next year’s election. The announcement late Sunday by Prabowo Subianto ended weeks of fevered speculation in the Indonesian media. Vice-presidential candidate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, is mayor of Surakarta, Widodo’s hometown in Central Java province. He does not meet the age requirement of 40 to run but the Constitutional Court — headed by the president’s brother-in-law — made an exception in a ruling last week allowing those who served or had been elected as regional leaders to run at a younger age. The controversial ruling clears the way for Raka to run in the election.