JAKARTA – Shocking betrayals, new alliances with old enemies, and a controversial court ruling that kicked it all off.

Indonesia was gripped by political drama this past week, which saw Mr Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the elder son of President Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, propelled from being mayor of Solo to becoming the vice-presidential candidate on the prominent ticket for elections in February.

Late on Sunday night, Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, 72, announced that he would run for president with Mr Gibran as his teammate. The pair, who are backed by Mr Prabowo’s Indonesia Onward Coalition, are expected to register their candidacies on Wednesday, the last day to do so.

The road to the Prabowo-Gibran ticket started officially on Oct 16, when the Constitutional Court ruled on several petitions for it to review the minimum age requirement for Indonesia’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates, which is set at 40.

The panel of judges, led by Chief Justice Anwar Usman, who is Mr Widodo’s brother-in-law, very early in the proceedings announced that the age limit would be kept.

Critics, who had expected the court to rule in favour of allowing 36-year-old Mr Gibran into the race, cheered the news, but their joy was short-lived.

Hours later, in its ruling on another petition, the court said that anyone who has held or currently holds a position elected through a general election, including regional ballots, will be allowed to contest in the 2024 polls, regardless of age.

This meant that Mr Gibran, who has since 2021 been mayor of Surakarta city, also known as Solo, could run despite his age.

Before this, Mr Gibran had not made any announcements about officially registering for the polls, but there were tell-tale signs.

In recent months, politicians supporting the presidential campaign of Mr Prabowo have asked for Mr Gibran to be his running mate.

Such a move would likely boost Mr Prabowo’s odds of winning, say observers, given the likelihood that Mr Widodo and his supporters will throw their weight behind the minister.

Mr Prabowo has even received the backing of Mr Widodo’s biggest supporter group, ProJo, despite the fact that both men faced off against each other in the 2019 elections.

But going with Mr Prabowo meant Mr Gibran and his father would be betraying their party – the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, or PDI-P, which announced in April that its presidential candidate is former Central Java governor Ganjar Pranowo, 54.

PDI-P party chairman Megawati Soekarnoputri responded to the court ruling on Monday night itself, amid wildfire speculation that Mr Gibran would announce his alignment with Mr Prabowo and thus turn his back on PDI-P.

During a speech at the inauguration of the PDI-P’s Surakarta headquarters, from which Mr Gibran was notably absent, Ms Megawati stressed how important party loyalty was. She also warned members against switching allegiances.

“Many have tried to destroy this party for 32 years. But we continued to exist… These various tests have made us more politically mature,” she said.

Mr Widodo had said on Oct 16 that he did not want to comment on the ruling. Legal experts should be the ones to assess it, he added, noting that his opinion could be misunderstood as interference.

On the issue of whether his son will run for vice-president, Mr Widodo said candidacy for the nation’s top two posts are determined by political parties.

Previously, Mr Widodo had dismissed criticism that he was building a political dynasty as the end of his term – next October – drew nearer, saying that such matters should be left to “the people”.

Post-ruling

Demonstrations by hundreds of Indonesians erupted in Jakarta as well as other cities to protest against the court ruling, which they said was an undemocratic action that allowed for political dynasties to be established.

The rallies came and went, but the political machinery ran full steam ahead.

On Oct 19, the opening day for registration, the first two pairs of candidates for the country’s top posts wasted no time in submitting their applications.

Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, 54, and his running mate, National Awakening Party chairman Muhaimin Iskandar, 57, were the first to register.

They were followed by the candidates for PDI-P, Mr Ganjar and Indonesia’s Security Minister Mahfud MD, 66.

Even as his opponents revelled in the carnival-like atmosphere at the General Elections Commission of Indonesia where they registered, high-fiving supporters and posing for myriad photos, Mr Prabowo stayed mum for the next few days on who his running mate was going to be.

Political observers speculated that the backlash had put Mr Prabowo in two minds about picking Mr Gibran as his running mate. Insiders say he was being lobbied to instead partner with State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, one of Mr Widodo’s closest allies and considered a safe choice to rally support.

Another name floated to Mr Prabowo was that of the popular East Java governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa, 58, an ex-minister who is one of Indonesia’s most prominent female politicians.

Speculation intensified on Thursday when word got around that Mr Widodo had cut short his trip to Saudi Arabia and returned on Friday, a whole day earlier than intended. Talk within the political circles was that the President flew back to dispel any doubts Mr Prabowo might have had about teaming up with his son.

By late Sunday night, the matter had been put to rest. Mr Gibran would be partnering with Mr Widodo’s former rival in the elections. And they will be taking on the party that backed his father to become the country’s leader for the past nine years.