Indonesia court to rule on bid to annul vice president's election win

JAKARTA: Indonesia's Constitutional Court will issue a ruling late on Tuesday (Oct 6) on a case that seeks to annul Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's election win because of alleged gaps in his education record, a move that could see him lose office and further undermine President Prabowo Subianto's administration.

Prabowo became the eighth president of Southeast Asia's largest economy after a successful but often controversial election campaign alongside Gibran, the 39-year-old eldest son of Prabowo's predecessor, Joko Widodo.

Last month, plaintiffs led by a former Indonesian deputy law minister filed a petition to the court asking its nine-judge panel to annul Gibran's vice presidency, arguing that his overseas education credentials did not satisfy Indonesian eligibility requirements and were improperly accepted by election authorities.

Indonesian election law requires presidential and vice-presidential candidates to have completed senior high school or an equivalent level of education. Plaintiffs argued Gibran failed to adequately prove he had met the criteria.

Judges are scheduled to deliver their verdict on Tuesday after holding several hearings with experts, diplomatic attaches, and the education ministry, the court's website shows.

The challenge hinges on whether Gibran's overseas studies met the requirements and whether election officials were justified in relying on government-issued equivalency certificates to support his candidacy.

Gibran attended Orchid Park Secondary School in Singapore and later studied at UTS Insearch in Australia before obtaining a bachelor's degree through the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS).

Indonesian education ministry official Taufiq Damarjati told the court on Oct 2 that the ministry's equivalency assessment was based on Gibran's overall educational history, while acknowledging that no diploma was submitted during the application process, court transcripts show.

Prabowo has replaced several senior officials, including the national police chief and the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, local media reported, moves widely seen as a reflection of strains in his relationship with Widodo.

Widodo threw his support behind Prabowo, his former defence minister, during the presidential campaign.

A controversial 2023 ruling by the Constitutional Court exempted Gibran from age restrictions, paving the way for his candidacy. The move sparked protests and criticism from students, activists and legal scholars, with analysts saying it allowed Widodo to retain influence even after leaving office.