JakartaPost-Nov 13, 2026
Gibran Rakabuming Raka has officially resigned as vice president, amid mounting pressure on his academic credentials and eligibility to remain in office, effectively ending the alliance between President Prabowo Subianto and his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. Gibran, the 39-year-old son of Jokowi, had come under intense pressure to resign after the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court made separate rulings last month that his overseas education did not meet election requirements two years ago. Donning a black suit and a red tie, Gibran arrived at the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta on Thursday before noon, where he handed a handwritten resignation letter to the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) leaders behind closed doors. Gibran said in the letter that he resigned at his own request and “in the interests of the nation and to ensure the smooth functioning of the government”, according to MPR speaker Ahmad Muzani of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party. “My decision to step down is [also] not an admission of inability to carry out my duties. Rather, it is a major step I have to take to ensure the government can continue moving forward with greater calm, unity and focus on all Indonesians,” he said. His resignation came ahead of a planned House of Representatives plenary session on his impeachment, where a petition signed by more than 170 lawmakers across political parties was expected to be passed.
The plenary was immediately canceled after Gibran’s resignation letter was received by MPR. The development made Gibran the first directly elected vice president to step down before completing his term. Gibran’s resignation came amid heightened political tensions, following a wiretapping scandal that has exposed a widening rift between Prabowo and his predecessor, Jokowi, whose backing was instrumental in securing the Prabowo-Gibran ticket’s victory in the 2024 election. In an address on Thursday afternoon, Prabowo said he accepted his deputy’s resignation “with a heavy heart”, describing his decision to deliver his resignation letter himself as “courageous, responsible and statesmanlike” and that his exit was made in the interest of the nation and its people.
Read more at:
