Gibran Rakabuming Raka submitted his resignation after Indonesia's Supreme Court ruled his high school equivalence document invalid, amid strain in the alliance between President Prabowo Subianto and former President Joko Widodo.
Indonesia's Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka submitted his resignation after the Supreme Court ruled that a high-school document used during his 2024 election campaign was invalid. The resignation comes amid signs of strain in the political alliance between his father, former President Joko Widodo, and incumbent President Prabowo Subianto.
Gibran's aide, Budi Arie, said the resignation letter was submitted directly to Prabowo on Wednesday, and it remained unclear whether it had been accepted. The Supreme Court found "no evidence" that Gibran had a foreign diploma or certificate that could serve as the basis for equivalency with a senior high school or equivalent qualification. A Constitutional Court ruling from earlier in October reached the same conclusion.
The ruling prompted more than 100 lawmakers to support a parliamentary initiative that could have paved the way for proceedings to impeach Gibran. Gibran previously argued that undertaking university education was sufficient proof that he had completed senior high school. On Tuesday, he asked for the chance to challenge the ruling and be given the opportunity to prove the legitimacy of his education credentials, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said.
Gibran joined Prabowo's ticket in 2024 as part of an alliance between Prabowo and Jokowi. Gibran was 36 at the time and became eligible for candidacy after a Constitutional Court ruling exempted him from the minimum age requirement of 40.
Since taking the presidency, Prabowo has shown little interest in pushing ahead with Jokowi's legacy project, the construction of Nusantara, a new capital. Instead, he has focused state resources on his flagship programme to provide free school meals across the country. Last week, authorities arrested presidential chief of staff Listyo Sigit Prabowo on suspicions of wiretapping the president. Prabowo sacked Listyo a day later. Listyo, who formerly served as the national police chief, is widely considered a long-time ally of Jokowi.
On Monday, three members of Prabowo's cabinet collectively resigned from the party led by Kaesang Pangarep, Jokowi's youngest son, citing their desire to focus on their duties in Prabowo's administration.
The resignation removes a key figure from the alliance that helped propel Prabowo to power and leaves the vice presidency vacant. The upper house must declare a vacancy and ask Prabowo to submit two names for a new vice president; the chamber then has 60 days to hold an election. The episode unfolds as the free school meals programme struggles for funding, parts of Indonesia have battled the country's worst wildfires in a decade, and the national stock market faces crisis amid allegations of widespread market manipulation.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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