Jokowis Moves Fuel Speculation Over Another PrabowoGibran Run in 2029

TheIndonesia.co - The possibility of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka running together again in Indonesia’s 2029 presidential election remains widely open, according to political observers.

Executive Director of Indonesia Political Opinion, Dedi Kurnia Syah, said the direction of coalition-building for the 2029 election has yet to become clear. However, recent political manoeuvres suggest the possibility of continuity for the current pairing.

According to Dedi, former Indonesian president Joko Widodo’s declaration that he plans to travel across Indonesia alongside Partai Solidaritas Indonesia could form part of a broader political agenda aimed at strengthening Gibran’s position ahead of the next electoral contest.

“The direction of the presidential coalition remains unclear, but the opportunity for Prabowo to continue with Gibran remains very open, especially after Jokowi declared that he would tour Indonesia with PSI,” Dedi told Suara.com on Thursday, 25 June 2026. 

Dedi argued that advancing Gibran’s candidacy in 2029 without Prabowo’s backing would be difficult. He also suggested that Jokowi’s current political interests may still be focused on maintaining political continuity between Prabowo and Gibran.

“Pushing Gibran forward without Prabowo is clearly not yet feasible, so Jokowi’s offer would naturally involve supporting Prabowo once again,” he said.

Dedi further predicted that political parties that have consistently supported both Prabowo and Jokowi are likely to remain united and follow Prabowo’s eventual political decision.

Even so, he believes there is still room for an alternative political bloc to emerge from parties outside the current governing coalition.

Parties such as NasDem Party, Democratic Party, Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), and National Awakening Party (PKB) still have space to form their own political axis ahead of the 2029 election. However, the strength of such an alliance will depend heavily on how Indonesia’s political landscape develops over the coming years.

Dedi also argued that Jokowi’s current efforts are not aimed at increasing Gibran’s popularity, given that public awareness of the Vice President is already high.

Instead, he sees Jokowi’s activities as an attempt to consolidate and mobilise political support.

“Jokowi is not actually trying to make Gibran more popular, because his popularity is already high. What Jokowi is doing is consolidation and mobilisation,” Dedi said.

With the populist influence Jokowi still holds, Dedi believes the former president may retain the ability to steer voters towards supporting Gibran in future elections.

For that reason, he said, other political parties should monitor these developments closely — not out of political jealousy, but out of strategic caution.

“There is no reason for other political parties to be jealous, but they do need to stay alert. If Jokowi succeeds in maintaining voter solidarity behind Gibran, those parties may eventually become dependent on Jokowi,” he concluded.