JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has accepted the resignation of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Gibran handed over his resignation letter in a meeting between the two men late Wednesday (Nov 11), the people said, speaking anonymously about a private conversation.
Gibran, the son of former President Joko Widodo, had faced growing calls from politicians for his impeachment over questions about his educational credentials. He had been accused of failing to prove that he met a high school-equivalent education requirement to run for vice president in the 2024 election, despite holding a university degree.
The Government Communication Agency didn’t respond to a request for comment outside of regular office hours. A representative for the vice president also didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Budi Arie Setiadi, head of the pro-Widodo volunteer group Projo, separately confirmed that Gibran had submitted his resignation.
It wasn’t immediately clear when Gibran’s resignation would take effect, or whether the People’s Consultative Assembly had been formally notified. The constitution provides a separate process for filling a vacancy in the vice presidency.
Prabowo didn’t appear to address the issue in a speech at a National Democratic Party event later Wednesday, though he was widely cited in local media quoting a Javanese proverb that "what is right will become clear, what is wrong will be revealed.”
The resignation was given a day after Gibran met with Prabowo for more than two hours, after which the vice president said he planned to seek to validate certain documents through the courts to address allegations against him.
It also comes amid weakening investor confidence in the country, where the rupiah has declined roughly eight per cent this year against the dollar to be Asia’s worst-performing currency, with the stock market one of the world’s worst-performing. MSCI Inc. has warned Indonesia may be downgraded from emerging markets status unless "investability” issues are addressed, fueling selling.
Gibran’s mooted exit could reshape the political alliance that helped Prabowo win power. It also likely marks a significant turning point in relations between Prabowo and Widodo, widely known as Jokowi. The two former rivals formed an alliance ahead of the 2024 presidential election, with Gibran’s selection as Prabowo’s running mate cementing their partnership.
"Gibran’s resignation caps a series of demotions and removals of key Jokowi allies, widening the rift between Jokowi and Prabowo, whose alliance was integral to Prabowo’s election,” said Laura Schwartz, senior Asia analyst at risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft. "Remaining coalition heavyweights are now likely to scramble for influence, particularly over the choice of Gibran’s successor as vice president.”
Jokowi was pivotal in helping Prabowo secure victory after two unsuccessful presidential bids. Their alliance gave Prabowo access to Widodo’s political network and public support while ensuring that Jokowi’s eldest son entered one of the country’s highest political offices.
The political upheaval also comes amid wider discontent with the government. Following protests earlier this year, student and civil society groups staged demonstrations in several Indonesian cities this week over economic conditions, environmental policies and civil liberties.
In Yogyakarta, on the island of Java, police detained 154 people after clashes erupted near the provincial legislature Tuesday night. Authorities said a group attacked a building with fireworks, Molotov cocktails and stones, while a local legal aid organisation alleged excessive police force. Police said they were investigating the violence.
"As protests expand, so does the security response,” said Verisk Maplecroft’s Schwartz, noting that tens of thousands of troops have been deployed to Jakarta in recent weeks, with large numbers of security personnel dispatched to even small-scale protests.
"Prabowo is likely to favour a military-first approach, but while security forces may be able to contain protests, the heavy deployments raise the risk of clashes and casualties among protesters or bystanders,” she said. "With mounting civil unrest in Jakarta and several other cities across Indonesia, the risk of protests escalating into violence and rioting is high.”
News of Gibran’s imminent departure came just hours after 120 lawmakers from all eight parliamentary factions, including 11 members of Prabowo’s own Gerindra party, submitted a motion that could lead to Gibran’s impeachment. The House had been preparing to take up the proposal at a plenary session Thursday.
Gibran had already expressed his intention to resign during a meeting with Prabowo on Tuesday, according to State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi. Prasetyo said the president hadn’t rejected the proposal but had offered advice.
Speaking afterward, Gibran said Prabowo had encouraged him to continue fighting to prove the validity of his academic records through the courts. That account was disputed by government communications chief Syahganda Nainggolan, while Coordinating Law Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the court rulings were final and left no avenue for Gibran’s proposed legal challenge.
The Supreme Court last month invalidated a government certificate issued in 2019 to establish the equivalence of Gibran’s overseas education to an Indonesian high-school qualification. In its full judgment published this week, the court said the supporting documents failed to establish that Gibran had completed the required level of education and ordered authorities to revoke the certificate.
The ruling renewed questions about whether Gibran met the educational requirements to contest the 2024 election. It didn’t automatically remove him from office, leaving the question of his departure to a separate constitutional process.
The timing of Gibran’s departure remains significant because the constitution requires the People’s Consultative Assembly, also known as MPR, to choose a new vice president within 60 days of a vacancy, from two candidates nominated by Prabowo. That process gives Prabowo a pivotal role in selecting a new deputy, with implications for the balance of power among the political parties supporting his government.
Yusril said Tuesday that a voluntary resignation would require a formal written statement to the MPR, which would establish the vacancy and request two candidates from the president.
It remains unclear whether lawmakers will proceed with the planned consideration of the impeachment motion Thursday following Gibran’s submission of his resignation. - Bloomberg
