JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's leading presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate, the incumbent's son, will register on Wednesday for next year's presidential election, setting the stage for a three-way race for the top job next year.
Prabowo and Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the eldest son of President Joko Widodo, told a Jakarta stadium packed with thousands of cheering supporters they would deliver programmes aimed at the youth.
"We ask for the blessing of the Indonesian people because we are facing a very important point in Indonesian history," Prabowo, the defence minister, said in a speech ahead of registering officially and unveiling a policy platform at the election commission later on Wednesday.
The world's third-largest democracy will hold presidential and legislative elections on February 14 with nearly 205 million eligible voters, about a third of whom are under the age of 30.
Former special forces commander Prabowo has been leading in opinion surveys against the two other contenders Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan.
Gibran, 36, said their ticket would roll out loans for digital start-ups and continue development of the mineral processing industry and green economy.
"We all believe that the existing programmes have brought Indonesia into the gate of advancement. Our duty is to continue and perfect programmes related to youth, millennial generation, gen-Z," he said.
The final candidate pair will sign up on the last day of the registration period after days of political manoeuvring that saw Prabowo team up with the son of his former rival.
Prabowo's decision to partner with Gibran could attract some of the president's support base despite public outrage over a last-minute court decision on eligibility criteria that allowed Gibran, a relative newcomer on the political scene, to run.