Indonesia's vice president resigns over education row

Vice president resigns on Thursday

Indonesia's Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka tendered his resignation to parliament on Thursday, triggering the process of finding his replacement amid growing turmoil for the government.

Supreme Court invalidated his credentials

Gibran had been facing impeachment calls after a Supreme Court ruling that a high-school document used during his two thousand twenty-four election campaign was invalid.

Court found no evidence of graduation

Indonesian law requires vice-presidents to have completed senior secondary school or its equivalent. The Supreme Court found no evidence to prove Gibran had graduated from high school.

“No evidence was found to show Gibran had a foreign diploma or certificate that could serve as the basis for equivalency with a senior high school or equivalent qualification”

Prabowo accepts resignation with heavy heart

President Prabowo Subianto told reporters he had accepted Gibran's resignation with a heavy heart. Upper house lawmakers will have sixty days to fill the vacancy from two candidates nominated by the president.

Resignation signals fraying alliance

Gibran's departure comes amid a faltering political alliance between his father, ex-president Joko Widodo, and incumbent President Prabowo Subianto. Tensions between them appear to have flared since Prabowo took office.

Prabowo shifts focus and personnel

Since taking the presidency, Prabowo has shown little interest in Jokowi's legacy project, the construction of Nusantara, a new capital.

Government faces multiple crises

Gibran's resignation unfolds amid turbulent times for Prabowo's presidency.The free school meals programme struggles for funding, parts of Indonesia have battled the country's worst wildfires in a decade, and the national stock market faces crisis.