Young Gibran Will Face A Veteran Politician and A Senior Minister on VP Debate

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The vice presidential debate for Indonesia's 2024 election will be held on Friday (22/12/2023). Economics is the main topic of the debate which includes digital economy, trade, national budget, infrastructure, and urban issues.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of the incumbent President Joko Widodo, will be the youngest contestant on stage. Gibran is running with Minister for Defense Prabowo Subianto. The 36-year-old will debate against a veteran politician Muhaimin Iskandar (Cak Imin) and the former chief  justice of the Constitutional Court Mahmud MD.

In terms of popularity, Cak Imin is perhaps the least popular among the three VP candidates, Gibran and Mahfud MD have strong presence on social media. But Cak Imin can cover his Achilles' Heel with his long experience in realpolitik. 

Cak Imin is Anies Baswedan's running mate. He has been active in high-level politics since the early 2000s. During the eras of three presidents - Megawati, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and Joko Widodo - Cak Imin has always held important political posts whether in the cabinets or parliament.

Mahfud MD who is partnered with Ganjar Pranowo will be the most senior figure on stage. He was previously the chief of the Constitutional Court, and then he was appointed as Coordinating Minister for Legal, Political, and Security Affairs in President Jokowi's cabinet.

Despite his youth, Gibran may have an advantage in this debate, especially when it comes to business issues. Before entering politics, Gibran was a businessman in the food industry.

Gibran is able to run thanks to the controversial ruling from the Constitutional Court which revised the age limit for presidential candidates. At that time, the chief of justice was Anwar Usman, Gibran's own uncle.

The panelists for this second debate includes academicians from public and private universities, a former Ombudsman member, and policy analysts.

Fachrur Rozie contributed to this report.