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Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka formally submitted his resignation letter to the People’s Consultative Assembly on November 12 2026 after previously informing President Prabowo Subianto of his decision. Assembly Speaker Ahmad Muzani told reporters that Gibran handed over the document during a brief meeting and requested the body process it according to constitutional procedures. Gibran had met Prabowo two days earlier for more than two hours according to state secretary Prasetyo Hadi who said the president had urged him to pursue a legal challenge. Bloomberg reported that Prabowo accepted the resignation while multiple outlets including CNA and Al Jazeera confirmed the vice president cited a desire to avoid prolonged political controversy.
Court rulings last month triggered the crisis with the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court both determining that documents related to Gibran’s overseas schooling failed to meet senior secondary education requirements for elected office according to the Straits Times. The Supreme Court annulled an equivalency certificate on October 30 while the Constitutional Court had reached a similar finding earlier in the month. More than 100 lawmakers subsequently signed a petition that could have led to impeachment proceedings the Jakarta Post reported. Gibran who is the son of former president Joko Widodo had argued that his university studies sufficed but chose to step down rather than prolong the dispute.
Under Indonesia’s constitution the vice presidential vacancy will not trigger a full election but requires Prabowo to nominate two candidates within 14 days of a formal request from the assembly. The People’s Consultative Assembly then has up to 60 days to elect a successor according to statements from Muzani carried by the Indonesia Business Post. This process could shift the balance within the ruling coalition as parties jockey for influence in the selection. The resignation marks the first time a directly elected vice president has left office before completing a term Al Jazeera noted.
The episode underscores broader strains in the political partnership between Prabowo and Widodo whose support proved decisive in the 2024 campaign. Reuters detailed how cabinet reshuffles since September 2025 removed several Widodo loyalists including former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati while a recent wiretap scandal led to the arrest of a former police chief with ties to the ex-president. A Bloomberg assessment found these developments have fueled speculation of deepening rivalry with the wiretap case even raising questions of potential treason. Widodo has publicly expressed continued support for Prabowo following the resignation according to the Straits Times.
Public approval for Prabowo has declined sharply since he took office in October 2024. Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting figures show his satisfaction rating dropped from 81 percent in late 2025 to below 45 percent by October 2026 amid dissatisfaction over the economy corruption and environmental crises including widespread wildfires. An ACLED analysis recorded a surge in protests under the current administration with more than 8 500 events in two years nearly triple the figure from Widodo’s second term. Food poisoning incidents linked to the government’s flagship free meals program have further eroded confidence according to Reuters which reported 57 000 cases and opposition from 62 percent of the public in early October polling.
Prabowo’s expansive rainbow coalition which includes multiple parties has delivered short-term stability but at the expense of policy execution according to a Diplomat review. The cabinet’s size exceeding 100 members has led to overlapping authorities and frequent reshuffles with eight already conducted by mid-October 2025. Internal frictions have surfaced over proposed election law changes that could disadvantage smaller coalition partners the publication added. The vice president’s departure may test these alliances further as the president navigates the selection of a replacement while managing ongoing scandals and declining popularity.
