Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has resigned after courts ruled that the education documents he used to run for office did not meet election requirements, plunging Southeast Asia’s largest economy into fresh political uncertainty. The Gibran resignation was confirmed on Wednesday and formalised with a letter to parliament on Thursday.
Gibran, the 39-year-old son of former President Joko Widodo, submitted his resignation to the leadership of the People’s Consultative Assembly, the country’s highest legislative body, at the parliament building in Jakarta on Thursday, November 12. MPR Speaker Ahmad Muzani confirmed the document had been handed directly to the assembly’s leadership after a meeting lasting about 20 minutes. Gibran left the parliamentary complex without making a public statement, and Muzani said a similar letter had also been submitted to President Prabowo Subianto.
Courts Voided His School Documents
The resignation follows rulings last month by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court that the documents Gibran submitted regarding his overseas education did not meet election requirements. The Supreme Court found no evidence to prove that Gibran had graduated from senior secondary school, or that he held a foreign diploma that could serve as the basis for an equivalence qualification, and instructed the education ministry to withdraw his education equivalence certificate. Indonesian law requires vice presidents to have completed senior secondary school or its equivalent.
Gibran, who studied abroad, used the certificate to comply with education requirements and run in the 2024 election, which he won alongside Prabowo. The first public confirmation of the resignation came from Projo chairman Budi Arie Setiadi on Wednesday, who told reporters: “That is correct.” State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said Gibran had raised the possibility of resigning during a meeting with Prabowo on Tuesday that lasted about two and a half hours.
Succession Clock Now Running
Under Indonesia’s Constitution, a vice presidential vacancy does not trigger a new election. The office remains vacant until the People’s Consultative Assembly elects a replacement from two candidates nominated by the president within 60 days. The MPR leadership is scheduled to discuss the resignation and determine the next steps, while a House plenary session on a motion to begin impeachment proceedings against Gibran was cancelled on Thursday after the resignation.
The resignation threatens to split the political alliance that brought Prabowo to power, with 120 lawmakers from all eight party factions having moved to propose a formal inquiry into Gibran. It also rattled investors in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. For more on shifting political alliances, see our report on New Zealand’s kingmaker party holding the balance of power and Spain’s election polls ahead of the November 29 vote.
