Indonesia's Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto and his running mate have registered for a presidential election scheduled for February.

They signed up on Wednesday, the final day of the registration process, setting the stage for a three-way race.

Prabowo will be contesting the presidency for a third time. He narrowly lost to current President Joko Widodo in 2014 and 2019.

The 72-year-old former general picked Gibran Rakabuming Raka as his veep candidate. Gibran is Joko's eldest son.

Prabowo said, "Our coalition is determined to make Indonesia a developed country, a prosperous country, a country whose people are prosperous."

Many supporters came out to see Prabowo and Gibran in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Some 200 million people will be eligible to vote in the election. Just over half are between 17 and 40. Prabowo's pick of Gibran, who is 36, could attract support from this demographic.

Gibran said in a speech, "We need a young generation who is reliable, a young generation who is tough, a young generation who has national commitment."

Prabowo and Gibran promised to carry on with many of Joko's economic and social welfare policies. The latest opinion polls show that the pair has a narrow lead over their two rivals.

The other presidential candidates are former Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo and former Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.

All of them will kick off their election campaigns in late November.