Gibran Rakabuming Raka resigns as Indonesia Vice President
Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka faced an escalating diploma dispute and a parliamentary impeachment motion.
The sudden departure marks an unprecedented development in Indonesian politics. The only earlier example of a vice-president stepping down comes from 1956, when Mohammad Hatta left his post due to political differences with then-president Sukarno. B.J. Habibie and Megawati Soekarnoputri also left the office mid-term in 1998 and 2001, respectively, but they did not resign, as both ascended to the presidency after their predecessors stepped down or were removed.
Legislator Muhammad Khozin said that a proposal by 120 lawmakers to invoke the House of Representatives’ right to express an opinion on Gibran would become moot if he formally resigned. “If Gibran formally resigns as vice president, the motion will become irrelevant and will not proceed because it would have no subject,” Khozin told ANTARA News.
The political crisis intensified after the Supreme Court released a written judgment on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, invalidating the high school education equivalency certificate held by Gibran. “Declares the Certificate issued by the Director General of Primary and Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Number 9149/D.D1/KS/2019, dated August 6, 2019, to be null and void,” the Supreme Court’s ruling states.
The judgment further “Obligates the defendant to revoke the Certificate issued by the Director General of Primary and Secondary Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, Number 9149/D.D1/KS/2019, dated August 6, 2019,” declaring the certificate issued by the Ministry of Education and Culture in August 2019 null and void, Tempo reported.
House Members Submit Impeachment Proposal as Gibran Resigns
One hundred and twenty House members formally submitted the impeachment proposal on Wednesday afternoon, November 11, 2026. Projo Chairman Budi Arie Setiadi confirmed late Wednesday that Gibran had submitted his resignation letter.
House Commission III Chairman Habiburokhman revealed Gibran’s plan to step down during a meeting at the DPR Building in Jakarta on Thursday, Kompas.id reported. Several members of the House of Representatives were already waiting for Gibran’s arrival at the MPR Building in the Parliament Complex.
Under Article 8, paragraph 2 of the 1945 Constitution, the People’s Consultative Assembly must organize a plenary session within 60 days to elect a new vice president. President Prabowo Subianto holds the sole prerogative to nominate two candidates, submitting their names and eligibility documents at least 14 days before that session.