Gibran Rakabuming Raka Resigns as Indonesia’s Vice President Amid Diploma Dispute

Indonesia’s vice president, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, has resigned after a dispute over the validity of his high school qualification brought mounting pressure on his position. He submitted his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto and parliament on Thursday, according to the report. The controversy followed a Supreme Court ruling last month that annulled Gibran’s qualification, which he obtained abroad. The 39-year-old had faced repeated calls to leave office. Prabowo said he accepted the resignation “with a heavy heart” and praised Gibran for acting in what he described as the interests of the country and its people. Prabowo also said Gibran believes he pursued his education through an orderly process, while acknowledging that education systems abroad differ from Indonesia’s. The report gives no further details about the court’s reasoning or the specific requirements at issue. Gibran’s departure comes during a period of public discontent. Recent protests have addressed economic hardship, corruption, concerns about authoritarianism and the government’s handling of wildfires that have produced toxic haze. The report says his resignation may also unsettle the governing alliance linking Prabowo’s party with figures aligned with Gibran’s father, former president Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi. Political analyst Khairul Fahmi of the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies told AFP that the move represents a significant political realignment but does not necessarily put government stability at risk. He said Jokowi could retain influence, while Gibran’s exit might reduce his network’s direct access to power and give Prabowo more room to advance his own agenda. Gibran became Prabowo’s running mate after Jokowi’s support helped Prabowo’s rise to power, according to the report. Their alliance had brought Gibran and other Jokowi-linked figures into senior government roles. His resignation now puts that political arrangement under fresh scrutiny.