JAKARTA (BLOOMBERG) - Indonesia's ruling party nominated President Joko Widodo's eldest son as its mayoral candidate in an upcoming election in Central Java, marking the businessman's formal entry into politics.

Mr Gibran Rakabuming, 32, is paired with Mr Teguh Prakosa, a former lawmaker, for the Solo mayor's election scheduled for December, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, known as PDIP, said on Friday (July 17).

Mr Gibran, a catering businessman, has been chosen over the incumbent deputy mayor seen as a front-runner for the nomination, local newspaper Kompas reported.

Jokowi, as the president is commonly known, is serving his second and final five-year term after winning a landslide election last year. The former furniture businessman had started his political career from Solo as a mayor before being elected as the governor of Jakarta.

The world's third-largest democracy has more than a dozen political parties and the President commands the support of almost 75 per cent of the parliament strength.

There is an increasing tendency among Indonesian political parties to turn dynastic as such candidates often hold more potential to win elections, according to Mr Arya Fernandes, a political analyst at Jakarta-based at Centre for Strategic and International Studies. But eventually they will need to prove their mettle to make a mark, he said.

PARTY BASTION

Mr Gibran thanked the party for the nomination and vowed to win the mayor's post for the party headed by former president Megawati Soekarnoputri. Solo is considered a PDIP bastion and Gerindra and Golkar, the other leading political parties backing Jokowi, have signalled their support for Mr Gibran.

The President's son-in-law is also seeking a nomination from one of the top political parties for the mayor's post in Medan in North Sumatra, kumparan.com reported.

More than 105 million voters are eligible to participate in the elections for the post of 270 governors, regents and mayors, according to official data. The vote, initially scheduled for Sept 23, was postponed because of the social distancing measures imposed nationwide to contain the coronavirus outbreak.