Indonesian vice president resigns over high school diploma scandal

Detailed summary

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka resigned on Thursday after a scandal over his high school diploma. His exit adds to the pressure ...

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka resigned on Thursday after a scandal over his high school diploma. His exit adds to the pressure on a government already facing widespread anger over the economy, graft and wildfires.

There had been repeated calls for Gibran, 39, to step down after the Supreme Court last month annulled his high school qualification, which he obtained abroad.

On Thursday, he submitted his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto and to parliament.

“He certainly feels that he has pursued his education through an orderly process, but we all understand that the education system abroad is different from the education system in Indonesia,” the president said.

Indonesia’s vice president has few powers defined in the constitution. Beyond representing the president at official events, the vice president takes over if the president is incapacitated.

Gibran’s downfall followed weeks of street protests by thousands of Indonesians over economic hardship, graft, perceived authoritarianism and the government’s handling of months of devastating wildfires that have blanketed the region in toxic haze.

His exit is likely to complicate a loose governing alliance that includes Prabowo’s party and that of his predecessor Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, who is Gibran’s father.

The resignation “marks a significant political realignment, but does not necessarily threaten government stability”, said Khairul Fahmi, executive director of the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS) think tank.

“Jokowi will retain political influence, but Gibran’s departure could reduce his network’s direct access to power. For Prabowo, this creates greater room to consolidate his leadership and pursue his own political agenda,” Khairul told AFP.

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