Indonesia Vice President Gibran reportedly resigns as impeachment bid gathers steam

Indonesia's Vice President Gibran Rakabuming gathered the aspirations of fishermen at the Tegalkatilayu Fish Auction Place (TPI), Cilacap Regency, Central Java (26/10/2026). (Photo: wapresri.go.id)

JAKARTA, Nov 11 - Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has submitted his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto, according to a person close to him. The move comes as lawmakers push to begin impeachment proceedings over questions about his educational credentials.

Gibran, the 39-year-old eldest son of former President Joko Widodo, handed the resignation letter to Prabowo on Wednesday afternoon at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta, according to BeritaSatu. 

The presidential palace had not formally confirmed the resignation or said whether Prabowo had accepted it at the time of writing.

“It’s true, the letter was handed to the president this afternoon at Halim,” the person close to Gibran, Budi Arie Setiadi, chair of the Projo political group, a Widodo-aligned volunteer organisation, confirmed the resignation

Gibran had been expected to make a statement at the vice presidential palace on Wednesday evening, but the event was cancelled without explanation.

Impeachment Push

The resignation followed a move in parliament by 120 lawmakers from all eight party factions to propose a “right of inquiry”, a formal step toward impeaching Gibran. The proposal was put forward at a closed-door meeting attended by two deputy House speakers, Saan Mustopa of NasDem and Cucun Ahmad Syamsurizal of the National Awakening Party (PKB).

The signatories included 28 members of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), 19 from NasDem, 18 each from PKB and the Democratic Party, 14 from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), 11 each from Golkar and Prabowo’s Gerindra, and one from the National Mandate Party (PAN).

Most factions argued that Gibran no longer met the requirements for the office after two court rulings over his education records. The Supreme Court ruled that a high school equivalency certificate he submitted to register as a candidate in the 2024 presidential election was invalid.

That ruling reinforced an earlier Constitutional Court finding that no documents had been located to show he had completed equivalent schooling in Singapore or Australia.

Talks with Prabowo

Previously, on Tuesday, Gibran told Prabowo of his intention to resign during a meeting of about 2.5 hours at the presidential palace, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi told a news conference. Prasetyo denied reports that Prabowo had rejected the request, but did not say whether the president had accepted it. 

Prasetyo said Gibran had also asked for time to prove the validity of his education documents through proceedings at the State Administrative Court (PTUN).

Gibran said afterwards that Prabowo had advised him to keep fighting his case there. “One of his suggestions was that I keep fighting at the PTUN, by presenting all my documents from elementary school to bachelor’s degree, and coordinating with the (education) ministry to file a judicial review at the Supreme Court,” he told reporters at the vice presidential palace.

The vice president continued to carry out his duties after the meeting, and attended a National Heroes Day ceremony at the State Palace with Prabowo that same day. 

If Gibran’s resignation is accepted, the constitution requires the president to nominate two candidates for the vacant post, with the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) choosing between them.

Controversial Rise

Gibran’s path to office was contentious from the start. 

In October 2023, the Constitutional Court, then led by Chief Justice Anwar Usman, who is Widodo’s brother-in-law and Gibran’s uncle, ruled that candidates under 40 could run for president or vice president if they had held elected office. 

The decision cleared the way for Gibran, then 36 and mayor of the city of Solo, to join Prabowo’s ticket. 

A court ethics panel later found Usman had committed a serious ethical violation and removed him as chief justice. Prabowo and Gibran won the February 2024 election. Gibran took office on Oct. 20, 2024, the day Prabowo was inaugurated. 

Consecutive Political Scandals in Indonesia

His departure comes amid a widening rift between Prabowo and Widodo, which deepened after a wiretapping scandal this month. A police officer filed a report on Oct. 30 alleging illegal wiretapping, deletion of electronic data and unauthorised access to electronic systems. 

Police confirmed on Nov. 3 that former national police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who is not related to the president, and two other senior officers had been arrested on suspicion of tapping Prabowo’s communications and those of other officials. A fourth senior officer was later named a suspect. 

Listyo, widely seen as a Widodo loyalist, had been named Prabowo’s chief of staff in October. Prabowo sacked him on Nov. 4, as the military said thousands of troops were being deployed in the capital.

The government said the alleged operation may amount to treason. Police allege the wiretapping took place in 2025 and 2026. Widodo has not been implicated in the investigation.