Indonesia’s Vice-President Gibran hands resignation to parliament as Jokowi backs Prabowo

Detailed summary

Parliamentary leaders will now convene to discuss next steps, upper house speaker says

The country’s economy has not been disrupted by political developments, the government says

[JAKARTA] Indonesia’s Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka handed his resignation to parliament’s upper house on Thursday (Nov 12), ending days of speculation on his political future.

Meanwhile, Gibran’s father, former president Joko Widodo, voiced support for current leader Prabowo Subianto.

“We will continue to support President Prabowo’s administration, especially programmes that serve the interests of the broader public,” Jokowi told reporters outside his home in the central Java city of Solo.

Scrutiny is growing over the Indonesian government’s fiscal plans and broader policy direction, while downgrade risks still linger for the stock market, with the rupiah weakening as much as 0.6 per cent to plumb a fresh record low of 18,248 against the US dollar.

Indonesia’s economy has not been disrupted by political developments, the government said on Thursday after the resignation. The government is operating normally, its communication office added.

Minutes before Jokowi’s remarks, Gibran arrived at parliament in Jakarta to meet its leaders for 20 minutes, handing in his resignation and asking parliament to process it, said Ahmad Muzani, the speaker of its upper house.

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Gibran made his decision “through my own volition ... for the interests of the government and nation”, Muzani told reporters while reading out the resignation letter.

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