Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the 39-year-old son of former President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), formally submitted his resignation on Thursday, November 12.
He handed his resignation letter to the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), the country’s highest legislative body, and also submitted it to President Prabowo Subianto.
In the letter, Gibran stated that he was stepping down of his own accord “for the sake of the nation and the state, as well as the smooth operation of the government,” adding that the country and people should be prioritized above himself. The letter did not explicitly mention the controversy over his credentials.
Gibran is the first directly elected vice president to resign before completing his term.
The resignation follows rulings by both the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court that Gibran’s overseas high school equivalency certificate did not meet the legal requirements for the vice presidency. Indonesian law requires candidates to have completed senior secondary school or an equivalent qualification. Courts found insufficient evidence that his foreign schooling satisfied this standard, and the Supreme Court annulled the equivalency certificate issued in 2019.
Pressure had mounted after more than 100 lawmakers from across parties signed a petition that could have led to impeachment proceedings. Gibran had expressed his intention to resign earlier in the week during a meeting with Prabowo, saying he wanted to avoid a prolonged political controversy.
Under Indonesia’s constitution, a vice-presidential vacancy does not trigger a new national election. The MPR must elect a replacement within 60 days from two candidates nominated by the president. The process is now underway, with the MPR expected to formally declare the vacancy and request nominees from Prabowo.
The move injects fresh uncertainty into Southeast Asia’s largest economy and strains the political alliance between Prabowo and Jokowi that helped bring the current administration to power. Jokowi has publicly reaffirmed support for Prabowo’s government.