Indonesia's vice president resigns amid controversy over education credentials
Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has submitted his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto amid mounting political pressure over questions surrounding his educational qualifications, local media reported Wednesday.
Gibran, 39, the eldest son of former President Joko Widodo, handed his resignation letter to Prabowo at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base in Jakarta on Wednesday afternoon, CNN Indonesia reported, citing a person close to the vice president.
"That's correct, the letter was handed to the president this afternoon at Halim," the source told CNN Indonesia.
The resignation comes as 120 lawmakers from eight political parties submitted a proposal to initiate impeachment proceedings against Gibran.
The lawmakers argued that recent rulings by Indonesia's Constitutional Court and Supreme Court had raised questions about whether Gibran met the educational requirements for the vice presidency.
The Supreme Court ruled that an educational equivalency certificate used by Gibran to qualify for the 2024 presidential election was invalid.
The Constitutional Court had also found insufficient evidence supporting the equivalency of his overseas educational qualifications.
Gibran had expressed his intention to resign during a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Prabowo on Tuesday, according to State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi.
Prasetyo said the president had not rejected the proposal and had offered Gibran advice.
The vice president had also requested an opportunity to defend the validity of his educational documents through the State Administrative Court.
Gibran's resignation was separately confirmed to Reuters by two political sources in Indonesia's upper house and his political aide, Budi Arie Setiadi.
It was not immediately clear whether the resignation had been formally accepted or when Gibran would leave office.
The development marks a major political challenge for Prabowo's administration, which took office in October 2024.
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