Indonesia's Vice-President Gibran has resigned, aide says

JAKARTA: Indonesia's Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has resigned, an aide said on Wednesday (Nov 11), a move that risks further political turbulence in Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Gibran, the 39-year-old son of former President Joko Widodo, has come under intense scrutiny following Constitutional Court and Supreme Court rulings last month that his education documents did not meet election requirements.

The aide, Budi Arie Setiadi, told Reuters that Gibran had tendered his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto earlier on Wednesday.

Separately, two sources at the parliamentary upper house, which will oversee the process of approving his resignation and selecting a replacement, told Reuters that he will submit his resignation letter to the upper house on Thursday morning.

Gibran's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The controversy has unfolded amid a widening rift between Widodo, also known as Jokowi, and Prabowo.

Jokowi’s support was instrumental in securing the Prabowo-Gibran ticket's victory in the 2024 election.

Gibran met Prabowo for two-and-a-half hours on Tuesday morning, during which he expressed an intention to resign amid mounting pressure over his educational qualifications, according to presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi. 

While Gibran has not publicly confirmed that he intends to resign, he told reporters later on Tuesday afternoon that Prabowo had advised him to continue fighting his case over his educational records, including seeking a judicial review of a Supreme Court ruling.

On Oct 30, Indonesia's Supreme Court annulled Gibran's overseas high school education equivalency certificate less than a month after the Constitutional Court found insufficient documentary evidence establishing that Gibran’s foreign schooling met the relevant qualification requirements.

Parliament also convened on Tuesday after a month-long recess, with 50 lawmakers from six parliamentary factions backing a proposal to exercise the House of Representatives' right to express an opinion, a mechanism that could potentially lead to impeachment proceedings against Gibran. 

Earlier on Wednesday, 120 parliamentarians from eight factions signed the proposal, paving the way for Gibran's impeachment.