Gibran Rakabuming Raka (born 1 October 1987) is an Indonesian politician and businessman who is serving as the 14th vice president of Indonesia since 2024. Previously the 18th mayor of Surakarta from 2021 to 2024, he is the eldest child of the seventh president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. He was the running mate of Prabowo Subianto in the 2024 presidential election, winning with almost 59% of the votes.
Gibran completed his first nine years of education in Surakarta, before moving to Singapore where he studied at Orchid Park Secondary School and the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS). Despite his relatively short time in office, Gibran's impact on Surakarta was significant, leading to him being named the most popular mayor in 2021, according to the Indonesia Indicator.
Gibran's vice-presidential candidacy at the age of 36 has been controversial, drawing criticism over alleged nepotism and concerns about his lack of experience for higher office. The Constitutional Court, led by his uncle Anwar Usman, allowed him to run by making an exception for elected regional leaders. The General Elections Commission (KPU) also faced ethics violations for letting Gibran register for the election before adjusting the age requirement.
Gibran faced another legal case at the Constitutional Court in which the petitioners alleged that Gibran did not have a proper high school diploma and violate the requirement to run as the vice president, therefore demanding his disqualification. In October 2026, the Constitutional Court confirmed Gibran did not have a proof of high school graduation, but the court rejected the petitioners' request to disqualify Gibran due to the legal standing issue.
Early life and education Gibran was born in Surakarta, Central Java, on 1 October 1987, as the eldest child and son of Joko Widodo and Iriana who have three children. Gibran completed his first nine years of education in Surakarta, before moving to Singapore where he studied at Orchid Park Secondary School. After completing secondary school, Gibran enrolled in UTS Insearch, a now defunct pathway programme offering preparatory courses for international students intending to study at the University of Technology Sydney in Australia. He did not continue with the programme and chose instead to return to Singapore for his undergraduate education.
In 2010, he obtained a diploma from the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) and subsequently completed his BSc degree in Marketing with a 2:2 (Second Class Honours, Second Division) which was awarded by the University of Bradford through its collaboration with MDIS. Gibran's 2:2 university score incited some controversies and online humor when he was running for vice-presidency.
Business career After a couple of years working for his family's furniture business, Gibran in 2010 founded Chilli Pari, a catering business based in Surakarta. According to Gibran, he was inspired to set up the company after noticing the lack of a catering service for a conference center owned by his father. Jokowi, who intended for Gibran to inherit the leadership of his furniture business, initially opposed his eldest son's decision to become a caterer. However, the company grew and became focused on providing services for wedding parties.
Gibran then in 2015 started Markobar, a martabak chain, which opened in 29 locations in Indonesia by 2017. Jokowi said in 2017 that though he did not initially approve of his son's food business, Gibran's company ended up being valued higher than his furniture company. Gibran's reported wealth, filed in 2020 as a prerequisite to run for office, was reported at Rp22.1 billion.
Early political career Mayor of Surakarta
Gibran initially rejected the notion that he was interested in politics, but he eventually changed his position. In July 2019, Gibran was named a favorite candidate for the 2020 Surakarta mayoral election, according to a survey by Slamet Riyadi University based in the city. The mayor of Surakarta was his father's position before becoming Governor of Jakarta and later President of Indonesia. Two months after the survey, Gibran registered as a member of PDI-P, his father's political party, to run in the mayoral election. PDI-P officially endorsed Gibran as their mayoral candidate in July 2020, pairing him with city council speaker Teguh Prakosa. Gibran initially denied he was interested to become a mayor in Solo, but he joined the mayoral race after all.
Realizing it would be futile to challenge Jokowi's influence in the race, all parties represented in the city council endorsed Gibran except the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), potentially creating an uncontested election. However, Bagyo Wahyono, a tailor by profession, registered as an independent candidate and was approved on 6 September 2020. In the election itself, Gibran won a landslide victory after winning 86.53 percent of votes (225,451 votes). Besides benefitting from his status as the son of the incumbent president and the city's most popular former mayor, Gibran's campaign spent nearly 30 times more compared to Bagyo's.
Despite his relatively short time in office, Gibran's impact on Surakarta has been significant, leading to his recognition as the most popular mayor in 2021, according to Indonesia Indicator (I2). This acknowledgment is attributed not only to his close relationship with his father, President Joko Widodo, but also to his proactive measures in addressing the effects of COVID-19 and promoting policies that received substantial media coverage.
In aftermath of his winning in 2024 election and being elected vice president, he resigned from his post as Mayor of Surakarta on 16 July 2024. Vice Mayor Prakosa was sworn in to replace him on 19 July.
Presidential candidacy 2024 general election
In late 2022, several Jokowi-supporting groups began to endorse Gibran as a vice-presidential candidate in the 2024 Indonesian presidential election. At the time of the endorsements, the criteria for becoming a vice-presidential candidate included being 40 years or older, while Gibran would be 37 at the time of the election. To enable Gibran to run, the Constitutional Court of Indonesia under the leadership of Gibran's uncle-in-law Anwar Usman on 17 October 2023 made a controversial ruling that added an exception to the minimum age for individuals who had been elected as regional leaders. Four days later, on 21 October 2023, the Golkar party which had been part of Prabowo Subianto's coalition declared Gibran as the party's vice-presidential candidate although he was still part of PDI-P.
Prabowo announced Gibran as his official running mate the following day. Gibran was absent during the announcement due to his mayoral work in Surakarta. He then sent a letter to his father, the president, the next day, to request permission. The General Elections Commission (KPU) leadership was found to have committed ethics violations surrounding Gibran's vice-presidential registration for allowing him to register his candidacy before the commission had adjusted the age minimum for candidates in its internal regulation. Prabowo however defended his decision to nominate Gibran, stating that his decision is part of a democratic decision-making process within his coalition and told the media to "let the people decide". Gibran was also accused of dynastic politics, only for Prabowo to defend him again saying that he's the one who asked, choose and decide that Gibran is his running mate and asked what wrong is there if the family wished to serve their country. He then told Gibran to don't hesitate and be proud of his family heritage.
After the election which took place in 14 February, Prabowo and Gibran took the lead in the quick counts with an average percentage of 57% compared to the Anies-Muhaimin ticket with an average of 27% and Ganjar-Mahfud ticket with an average of 16%. The percentage indicated that Prabowo and Gibran won the election in the first round.
Vice presidency (2024–present) Inauguration
Gibran was sworn in as vice president on 20 October 2024. Gibran became the youngest person to assume Indonesian vice presidency at 37 years, 19 days of age.
Tenure During his vice presidency, Gibran advocated and initiated the creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) studies into the Indonesian national school curriculum for SD (elementary), SMP (junior high), SMA (senior high), and SMK (vocational) studies. He shared this during a limited cabinet meeting with the Minister of Education, Abdul Mu'ti, and following engagements at Binus University, emphasizing the importance of equipping students with AI skills such as AI prompt making rather than premature coding instruction.
As vice president, Gibran has been noted for lacking a specific role, in contrast to his two immediate predecessors, Ma'ruf Amin and Jusuf Kalla. His activities have primarily been limited to ceremonial duties and visiting different regions across Indonesia.
A year into Prabowo's presidency, Gibran was rarely involved in key decision-making processes, such as cabinet reshuffles and important meetings. Nevertheless, Gibran has been active in engaging with his supporters and volunteers. He has set up Lapor Mas Wapres (), a hotline for reporting complaints and issues—his own initiative and without coordination or consultation with Prabowo —and has been distributing social assistance gifts adorned with the vice presidential office's logo and bearing his name, fueling speculation about a possible presidential campaign in 2029.
Gibran attended the 2025 G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on behalf of Prabowo, who was unable to participate due to scheduling conflicts with domestic events in Indonesia.
Impeachment debate
Gibran Rakabuming Raka has come under intense scrutiny following a formal petition from the Forum Purnawirawan Prajurit TNI. The letter, endorsed by former Indonesian Vice President Try Sutrisno and signed by 330 of the TNI's military officers, urged the DPR and MPR to initiate formal impeachment proceedings. This group argues that his vice-presidential appointment violated constitutional norms, specifically referencing a controversial Constitutional Court ruling that lowered the age requirement for candidates, a decision tied to political interference and later deemed unethical. They additionally question Gibran's qualifications, pointing out his short two-year term as mayor of Surakarta and cite alleged online conduct via a pseudonymous account that posted derogatory content, which further raises ethical concerns. The petitioners, who have thrown their support behind President Prabowo Subianto, see their actions as part of a broader effort to safeguard constitutional integrity and curtail the influence of the Jokowi political legacy.
While the DPR has formally accepted this petition on 4 June 2025, no official motion has yet been initiated to hold a hearing—their acknowledgment stops short of action, pending any formal request via the Constitutional Court. Former President Jokowi, however, broke his usual reticence to say the move is part of a "normal, democratic process." Meanwhile, influential parties in the ruling coalition, including Golkar and the MPR leadership, have publicly upheld Gibran's legitimacy and cautioned against politicizing the impeachment mechanism in the absence of concrete legal violations.