Indonesia’s youngest-ever vice-president has walked away from the job. Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the 39-year-old son of former president Joko Widodo, personally handed his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto at Jakarta’s Merdeka Palace on Thursday morning, then delivered a copy to the leaders of the MPR, the country’s top legislative chamber. Prabowo said he accepted it “with a heavy heart” and the two men embraced in front of the cameras.
The exit comes after weeks of mounting pressure over Gibran’s educational record. Critics argued that the school certificates he obtained overseas did not qualify him for the office under Indonesian law, and an impeachment motion had collected 120 signatures from lawmakers in all eight factions of parliament. Prabowo, while praising his deputy, referred to a legal finding that the requirements had not been fully met.
Gibran tells it differently. In a video statement he insisted the move had “nothing to do with my diploma” and that his documents were complete; he was stepping aside, he said, so the government could work with more calm and unity. MPR Speaker Ahmad Muzani noted that the letter itself gives no specific reason beyond the national interest, while law minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the resignation takes effect without any vote by the assembly.
The president used the occasion to list his deputy’s field work: trips to 35 provinces and inspections at about 300 government project sites over two years. From his home in Solo, Joko Widodo said public office is temporary and that his family would keep backing Prabowo.
What happens next is set out in the constitution. Prabowo nominates two candidates and the MPR must pick one within 60 days, with no national ballot. Whoever gets the post could tilt the balance inside the president’s sprawling coalition, barely two years into a five-year term.
