Indonesia’s Vice-President Gibran resigns: Here are the controversies on his rocky road to power

Detailed summary

The move comes after 120 lawmakers from all 8 parties in Parliament filed a motion of opinion against him

The move comes after 120 lawmakers from all 8 parties in Parliament filed a motion of opinion against him

[JAKARTA] A day after vowing to fight the court rulings that have thrown his education credentials – and thus eligibility for office – into doubt, Indonesian Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has reportedly resigned.

“Yes, it’s true,” Budi Arie Setiadi, head of a volunteer group aligned with Gibran’s father, former president Joko Widodo, told The Straits Times on Wednesday (Nov 11) when asked about reports that Gibran had submitted his resignation letter to President Prabowo Subianto.

His resignation comes after 120 lawmakers from all eight parties in Parliament filed a motion of opinion against him earlier on Wednesday, the first formal step towards impeachment. The motion was set to be approved at a plenary session scheduled for Thursday before news of Gibran’s resignation broke.

It is a dramatic turn of events for a politician who became Indonesia’s youngest vice-president barely two years ago, riding on the popularity of his father, known as Jokowi.

Gibran’s vice-presidency has been dogged by controversy, from the contentious Constitutional Court ruling that paved his way to power to questions over his educational qualifications. He now faces an uncertain political future, with legal battles and political manoeuvres threatening having cut short his tenure.

Gibran’s eligibility was in question even before he took office. He was 36 when candidate registration opened in 2023, while election law required candidates to be at least 40.

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But on Oct 16, 2023, in a controversial 5-4 decision, the Constitutional Court – led by Anwar Usman, Jokowi’s brother-in-law and Gibran’s uncle by marriage, who was later removed as chief justice for not recusing himself – ruled that those under 40 could run if they had previously been elected as a regional head.

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