Gibran hands resignation to parliament on Thursday 12 November, ending days of intense speculation about the future of Indonesia‘s vice president. Gibran Rakabuming Raka, 39, delivered the letter to the upper house of parliament after a meeting of about 20 minutes with its leaders. The move brings a formal close to a political crisis that had shadowed the government for weeks, even as questions remain about what comes next for the country’s second highest office.
President Prabowo Subianto said he had accepted the resignation with a heavy heart. He praised the work of his deputy and spoke warmly about their partnership in government. Gibran then greeted the president and left the presidential palace in Jakarta without making a statement to the press. His silence left the formal letter, and the president’s words, as the only public account of the decision for now.
The political significance of the moment goes beyond one resignation. Gibran is the son of former president Joko Widodo, known widely as Jokowi, and his presence in the administration was seen as a bridge between two powerful political camps. His departure therefore raises questions about the balance inside the ruling coalition and about how the government will manage the transition in the months ahead.
Gibran hands resignation to parliament after court rulings on his candidacy
Gibran hands resignation to parliament after sustained pressure from lawmakers who had called for his removal. The pressure followed rulings by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court that his foreign diplomas did not meet the requirements for a vice presidential candidacy in 2024. Those decisions revived a debate about the legality of his election that had never fully gone away, and they gave his critics in parliament a legal basis for their demands.
According to minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Gibran cited personal reasons and a growing public sentiment in a letter of only five paragraphs. The letter said he had decided of his own will, in the interest of the government and the nation. The brevity of the document contrasted with the scale of the crisis it closed, and it offered no detailed explanation of the events that led to his decision.
After Gibran hands resignation to parliament, Jokowi moved quickly to steady the political situation. Speaking from Solo, the former president said he would continue to support the Prabowo administration. That statement matters because it signals that the alliance between the two men, and between their political networks, is intended to survive the resignation. For a government facing economic pressure, a public show of unity from Jokowi could help calm both markets and coalition partners.
Now that Gibran hands resignation to parliament, the upper house must hold a session to declare the post vacant. It will then ask the president to propose two replacement candidates, and an election will follow within 60 days. That timetable gives the government a clear but demanding schedule, with the choice of successor likely to become a test of coalition discipline and of Prabowo’s authority over his own alliance.
Economic pressure grows as the rupiah hits a record low
The crisis that followed as Gibran hands resignation to parliament is already weighing on the economy. The rupiah has touched a new record low, at 18,255 to the dollar, and doubts are growing about the government’s budget plans. Investors are watching closely for signs of stability, and the coming weeks will test whether the resignation brings clarity or prolongs uncertainty about policy direction and political cohesion.
In a parallel development, police said on Thursday that they have enough initial evidence to pursue four suspects for treason in an illegal wiretapping case. The case is said to have targeted Prabowo, other political figures, activists and journalists. The announcement adds another layer of tension to an already unsettled political scene, and it raises questions about surveillance and security inside the country’s institutions.
For now, the government faces two tasks at once. It must manage the formal process of replacing a vice president, and it must reassure the public and the markets that the administration remains stable. Jokowi’s support helps on the first front, but the economic numbers and the wiretapping case show that the pressures on Prabowo’s government extend well beyond the question of who holds the vice presidency.
The coming session of the upper house will be the next visible step. Lawmakers will declare the vacancy, the president will put forward two names, and parliament will choose a successor within the 60 day window. Until then, Indonesia’s politics will remain focused on the day Gibran hands resignation to parliament, a resignation that was brief in form and large in consequence.
Source: Reuters