How Jokowi's son could go from food seller to vice-president

Indonesia's next vice-president could be a familiar face. Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 36, is the son of the current president Joko Widodo and his swift rise to the top of the country's political echelons is proving controversial, raising questions about dynasty-building and the strength of the country's democracy.

-  Rebecca Ratcliffe

Born in 1987 in Central Java, Gibran was educated in Indonesia and in Singapore. His father ran a furniture company for much of his childhood, and Gibran was 17 when Jokowi - as the president is widely known - took office as mayor of Solo, his first position before he became governor of Jakarta and, later, in 2014, president.

Gibran has run food businesses. But by 2020, he was following in his father's footsteps by running in a mayoral election in Solo. He won by a landslide, boosted by his father's brand.

Gibran appears to be seeking to emulate his father's image as a humble, courteous and polite politician, says Wasisto Raharjo Jati, a researcher at the Research Centre for Politics at Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency. He has an informal approach, he added: "He would stroll around by bicycle during his campaigning." Gibran is now running alongside presidential frontrunner defence minister Prabowo Subianto. They registered their candidacies last week, with Prabowo promising to make Indonesia an "advanced and prosperous country". He has promised to continue Jokowi's key policies, including the construction of a new capital city on the island of Borneo.