Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has told President Prabowo Subianto that he intends to resign, according to a presidential spokesman, after a Supreme Court ruling cast doubt on the validity of the education certificate he used to qualify for the 2024 vice-presidential ticket.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said Gibran expressed his intention to step down during a private meeting with Prabowo, though he stopped short of confirming that a formal resignation letter had been filed or accepted. The Jakarta Post reported that it remains unclear whether the process has moved beyond an informal offer. Prasetyo also pushed back on separate reports that Prabowo had rejected the offer outright, saying instead that the president had simply offered Gibran advice.
A credentials fight with deep roots
At issue is a diploma from Gibran's university studies that a Supreme Court ruling found could not be verified as legitimate, even as a separate Constitutional Court review found no conclusive evidence against him. Gibran has asked for time to contest the finding before the State Administrative Court in Jakarta, arguing his documents are valid.
Lawmakers from six factions in the House of Representatives are separately pursuing a formal inquiry into his eligibility, a mechanism that can be triggered with the backing of at least 25 members, according to Indonesia Business Post. More than 50 lawmakers have already signed on.
A widening political rift
The dispute has exposed a deepening split between Prabowo and Gibran's father, former president Joko Widodo, whose political network remains influential within the ruling coalition. A separate wiretapping scandal involving senior police officers — including allegations that Prabowo himself was a surveillance target — has added to the tension between the two camps, according to wire reporting on the dispute. Gibran remains in office for now, with his resignation offer unresolved and the legal challenge to his diploma still pending.