Indonesia VP hands resignation to parliament as dad Jokowi backs Prabowo

Résumé détaillé

Gibran Rakabuming Raka's resignation followed a push by lawmakers for his impeachment on grounds of inadequate educational credentials.

JAKARTA — Indonesia's vice president handed his resignation to parliament's upper house on Thursday, ending days of speculation about his political future, while his father, former President Joko Widodo, voiced support for current leader Prabowo Subianto.

The expression of support after the departure of Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Indonesia's highest-profile resignation since that of President Suharto in 1998, could ease signs of strain in the political alliance of Prabowo and predecessor Widodo.

"We will continue to support President Prabowo's administration, especially programmes that serve the interests of the broader public," the highly popular Widodo, known as Jokowi, told reporters outside his home in Solo in central Java.

"I felt assisted. He did his job well," Prabowo said in a speech, citing Gibran's work across Indonesian regions and his former deputy's "chivalrous attitude."

Gibran bowed and hugged Prabowo after the speech and left the presidential palace in Jakarta without saying anything.

The rift between Prabowo and Jokowi, who twice defeated the powerful former general for the presidency before lending him his support in the face of term limits, had looked set to further destabilise the government, analysts said.

Prabowo's government is battling scandals over his signature political programmes and doubts about its ability to manage Southeast Asia's biggest economy, where the political turmoil has sapped investor sentiment.

Scrutiny is growing over the government's fiscal plans and broader policy direction, while downgrade risks still linger for the stock market, with the rupiah IDR= weakening as much as 0.6% to a fresh record low of 18,255 against the dollar.

Minutes before Jokowi's remarks in Solo, Gibran arrived at parliament in Jakarta, the capital, where he met leaders for 20 minutes, handing in his resignation and asking parliament to process it, said Ahmad Muzani, the speaker of the upper house.

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