Indonesia's vice president, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, resigned on Thursday after two court rulings called the educational documents he used to run for office into question, leaving the country's second-highest office vacant for what could be up to 60 days. [1][2]
Gibran, the 39-year-old eldest son of former president Joko Widodo, handed his resignation letter to the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's highest legislative body, at the parliament building in Jakarta on Thursday morning. The assembly's speaker, Ahmad Muzani, confirmed the letter had been received and said Gibran had also submitted it to President Prabowo Subianto the previous day. [3][4]
Here is what happened, and what comes next.
Why did Gibran resign?
The immediate cause is a dispute over his education records. On 30 October, Indonesia's Supreme Court invalidated an educational equivalency certificate that Gibran had submitted when he registered as Prabowo's running mate in the 2024 election. Weeks earlier, on 6 October, the Constitutional Court had separately found problems with the documents used to establish his eligibility. [4][5]
The rulings turned a long-running controversy into a concrete legal problem. A petition signed by 120 lawmakers from eight political parties was submitted to House leaders on Wednesday, beginning a parliamentary process that could have led to impeachment proceedings against him. [3] An aide, Budi Arie Setiadi, said Gibran tendered his resignation to the president on Wednesday before delivering it to the assembly on Thursday. [6]
Questions about Gibran's eligibility are not new. His place on the 2024 ticket was contested from the start, and the document dispute gave his opponents a formal basis to act. [2]
What do the court rulings actually say?
The Supreme Court's 30 October decision invalidated the equivalency certificate – a document used in place of a standard high school diploma – that election authorities had accepted when Gibran registered as a candidate. The Constitutional Court's earlier October ruling found the education documents did not meet election requirements. [4][5]
Neither ruling by itself removes a vice president from office. What they did was undercut the paperwork behind his candidacy and give parliament grounds to move. Faced with a likely impeachment effort, Gibran resigned first. [1][4]
What happens to the vice presidency now?
Under Indonesia's constitution, a vice-presidential vacancy does not trigger a new election. The office stays empty until the People's Consultative Assembly elects a replacement from two candidates nominated by the president, a process that can take up to 60 days. [1][3]
Speaking alongside Gibran at a press conference on Thursday, Prabowo said he had accepted the resignation "with a heavy heart". [2][4] Parliamentary leaders were due to convene to discuss the next steps. [4] That puts the next move in Prabowo's hands. His choice of nominees will be read as a signal of how he plans to govern without the Widodo family's political weight beside him. [2]
Why does this matter beyond one resignation?
Gibran's departure could mark the end of the alliance between Prabowo and his predecessor, Joko Widodo – the partnership that helped carry Prabowo to power in 2024. Gibran was the living link in that arrangement: the popular former president's son, placed on the ticket to deliver votes and continuity. [2][3]
The resignation also lands on a government already under pressure. Al Jazeera notes widespread public dissatisfaction over the economy, corruption and wildfires, and the ruling coalition has shown signs of fraying. [3] Losing a vice president mid-term, two years into a five-year term, adds a succession question to that list. [1][3]
Final takeaways
Gibran Rakabuming Raka resigned as Indonesia's vice president on 12 November after the Supreme Court invalidated an education certificate used in his 2024 candidacy and more than 100 lawmakers moved toward possible impeachment. The office now stays vacant until the People's Consultative Assembly picks one of two presidential nominees, within up to 60 days. The deeper story is political: the Prabowo-Widodo alliance that won the 2024 election has lost its central link, and the choice of the next vice president will show what replaces it.
Sources
Checked 12 November 2026. This is a developing story; the sources below carry the dates their reporting was published.
- Associated Press, 12 November 2026, Indonesia's vice president resigns as his eligibility and academic credentials are questioned: https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-gibran-rakabuming-raka-resigns-abfe5e288fad3b8b26719eae634f2ee0
- BBC, 11 November 2026, Gibran Rakabuming Raka: Indonesia's vice president resigns amid signs ruling alliance is fraying: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cmvgxgz87qqro
- Al Jazeera, 12 November 2026, Indonesia's vice president resigns amid dispute over eligibility: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/12/indonesia-vice-president-resigns-amid-dispute-over-eligibility
- South China Morning Post, 12 November 2026, Gibran officially resigns as Indonesia's vice-president after degree scandal: https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3374164/gibran-officially-resigns-indonesias-vice-president-after-degree-scandal
- Jakarta Globe, 10 November 2026, How a diploma dispute pushed Vice President Gibran toward resignation: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/how-a-diploma-dispute-pushed-vice-president-gibran-toward-resignation
- Jakarta Post / Reuters, 12 November 2026, Gibran has tendered his resignation to President Prabowo, aide says: https://www.thejakartapost.com/indonesia/2026/11/12/gibran-has-tendered-his-resignation-to-president-prabowo-aide-says-
