Indonesian Vice-President Gibran tells Prabowo he intends to resign
Gibran Rakabuming Raka told the president he wants to step down, but says he was advised to keep challenging court rulings on his school records.
Indonesian Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka told President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday (Nov 10) that he intends to resign, The Straits Times and CNA reported. Lawmakers in Jakarta are preparing a move that could lead to his impeachment over the education documents he used to run for office.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, whom CNA described as the presidential spokesperson, told reporters that Gibran had expressed his intention to resign. The Straits Times said the meeting lasted about two and a half hours and, citing local media, that it was held at the President's official residence in the Widya Chandra complex. CNA reported that Prasetyo denied reports Prabowo had rejected the request. He stopped short of saying the president had accepted it.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Gibran said Prabowo had advised him to keep fighting in the State Administrative Court and to file a civil review appeal against the Supreme Court's ruling. "President Prabowo is like a father to me," he said, according to The Straits Times. CNA quoted the 39-year-old as saying he did not want the developments "to turn into a prolonged political controversy".
The dispute centres on whether Gibran completed senior high school, which election laws require for the office. On Oct 6 the Constitutional Court dismissed a petition over his eligibility, but said in its reasoning that it found no document showing he had completed overseas schooling equivalent to senior high school. CNA reported the court said it had no power to disqualify him. On Oct 30 the Supreme Court invalidated the high-school equivalency certificate he used to register as a vice-presidential candidate in 2024.
Parliament resumed sitting on Nov 10 after a month-long recess. The Straits Times said forms to launch a motion of opinion against Gibran had been circulating among MPs since Nov 7. Under the MD3 Law, such a motion needs at least 25 of the 580 MPs from more than one faction to sign it, followed by two-thirds approval in a plenary session attended by at least two-thirds of members. If it passes, the case goes to the Constitutional Court and then to the People's Consultative Assembly. CNA said parliament is overwhelmingly controlled by Prabowo's coalition.
All three outlets, including The Japan Times, reported the case comes amid a widening rift between Prabowo and Gibran's father, former president Joko Widodo. CNA noted that Joko Widodo defeated Prabowo in 2014 and 2019 before tacitly backing him as his successor. It also reported that three Cabinet members quit the Indonesian Solidarity Party on Monday. The party is led by Gibran's younger brother, Kaesang Pangarep.
Small groups of protesters rallied outside Parliament in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, The Straits Times reported, with banners reading "#GibranOut" and "Impeach Gibran". Meri Samiri, who coordinates a group calling itself the National Coalition of Indonesian Women, said its members had been protesting there for 21 days.
Sources: The Straits Times, Indonesian V-P Gibran tells Prabowo he intends to resign amid calls for impeachment; CNA, Indonesia VP Gibran expresses intent to step down, presidential official says; The Japan Times, Fate of Indonesia’s vice president hangs in the balance as lawmakers mull probe.
