Absence of high school diploma brings down Indonesia's vice-president

Indonesia's Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has resigned in a move that could spell the end of a political alliance between the president and his predecessor.

The speaker of the People's Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia (MPR), Ahmad Muzani, said Mr Gibran had handed in his letter of resignation earlier today.

He said the letter would be processed by the MPR, which would take up to 60 days.

The 39-year-old son of former president Joko Widodo had been facing calls to resign for weeks after court rulings over his educational qualifications.

In October, the country's Constitutional Court found no compelling evidence that he held a high school diploma, which was required under Indonesian law to run for office.

The Supreme Court then ruled a high school equivalency certificate he had obtained was invalid.

Mr Gibran's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but after a meeting with Mr Prabowo on Tuesday he said he respected all criticism and feedback from the public.

"I do not want the current situation to become a prolonged political controversy," he said.

The resignation was submitted just hours before Indonesia's House of Representatives was set to meet over a petition signed by more than 120 politicians calling for Mr Gibran's impeachment.

Political powers rivalry

Mr Gibran's decision comes amid a widening rift between President Prabowo Subianto and former president Joko Widodo, often called Jokowi.

Mr Jokowi supported Mr Prabowo by allowing his son to run alongside his former political rival. They stormed to power with a sweeping victory.

But cracks have since emerged.

Last week, Indonesia's former chief of police along with several other senior police officers were detained over allegations they had been wire-tapping the president and other figures.

The former police chief, Listyo Sigit Prabowo, is widely viewed as a key ally of Mr Jokowi.

The allegations, while still being investigated, were described by a presidential spokesperson as "actions that may fall into the category of acts tending towards treason".

The petitioners in the Constitutional Court case against Mr Gibran said he submitted education documents ahead of the election that should not have been accepted by officials at the time.

The applicants said the document was not a graduation certificate, but a supporting letter issued by Indonesia's Ministry of Education, based on a Certificate of Attendance and an academic transcript from UTS College in Sydney, previously known as UTS Insearch.

The vice-president's resignation also comes as protests take place in several cities in Indonesia over government policies and the handling of wildfires.