Indonesia's Vice President Gibran offers to resign over diploma rulings

Indonesia's Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has told President Prabowo Subianto that he intends to resign, after the country's Constitutional Court and Supreme Court both found problems with the school documents he used to qualify for the 2024 election. But he has not formally stepped down. The government says he remains vice president, and Gibran says he will try to prove his records are valid in court, while lawmakers in parliament have begun a procedure that could end in his removal.

The intention to resign was disclosed on Tuesday 10 November by State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, who also serves as the presidential spokesperson, after a meeting between Prabowo and Gibran at the palace in Jakarta that lasted about two and a half hours. "During the discussion, the vice-president expressed his intention to resign in light of the evolving situation," Prasetyo told reporters, according to CNA. He denied reports that Prabowo had rejected the offer, but did not say the president had accepted it.

What did Gibran and the palace actually say?

Speaking at the vice-presidential palace later on Tuesday, Gibran did not repeat the resignation offer in his own words. He said Prabowo had given him "a great deal of advice" and that one suggestion was to keep pursuing his case at the administrative court by presenting all his academic records. "I respect all the aspirations, criticisms, and suggestions from the public regarding the current situation. I do not want these developments to turn into a prolonged political controversy," he said, as quoted by CNA.

According to Tempo, Prasetyo said Gibran had asked for the chance to prove the validity of his documents through the State Administrative Court, and that he returned to work after the meeting. CNBC Indonesia reported that Gibran also described his relationship with Prabowo as being like that of a father and son.

Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the coordinating minister for law, human rights, immigration and corrections, insisted there was no vacancy. "Since he has neither resigned nor been removed from office, he remains the Vice President," he said, according to the state news agency ANTARA. He added that the Supreme Court ruling raised serious questions: "My interpretation is that there is essentially a choice—whether to resign or to be removed from office. We shall see how things unfold in the coming days."

Why are his school documents in question?

Indonesian law requires presidential and vice-presidential candidates to have completed at least senior high school or an equivalent. Gibran studied abroad, and the education ministry issued him a certificate in 2019 recognising his overseas schooling as equivalent to an Indonesian senior high school qualification. A lawsuit brought by a lawyer, Subhan Palal, challenged that certificate and questioned his schooling at Orchid Park Secondary School in Singapore and UTS Insearch in Sydney, according to Tribun Medan.

Two rulings have since gone against Gibran:

• Constitutional Court, early October 2026. The court dismissed a petition brought by Denny Indrayana and others because the petitioners lacked legal standing. But, as ANTARA and CNA report, it said it had found no convincing evidence that Gibran held a foreign diploma equivalent to an Indonesian senior high school qualification. It also said it did not have the power to disqualify him; that was a matter for other institutions.
• Supreme Court, 30 October 2026. In cassation ruling 742 K/TUN/2026, published in full on 10 November, a panel led by Judge Yulius granted Subhan Palal's appeal against the education ministry's Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education. It declared the 6 August 2019 equivalency certificate void and ordered the ministry to revoke it, overturning lower administrative court rulings from May and August that had gone the other way, according to CNN Indonesia. The court cited the Constitutional Court's findings as a new legal fact.

Neither ruling removed Gibran from office. Under Indonesia's constitution, only a political and judicial process involving parliament, the Constitutional Court and the People's Consultative Assembly can do that.

Who is Gibran, and why does this matter politically?

Gibran, 39, is the eldest son of former President Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, who served two terms from 2014 to 2024. Before becoming vice president he was mayor of Surakarta, also known as Solo. His candidacy in 2024 was itself contentious: he was able to run only after a 2023 Constitutional Court ruling relaxed the minimum age of 40 for candidates who had held elected regional office, a decision delivered by a bench then led by his uncle, Anwar Usman, who was later removed as chief justice by an ethics panel.

Running alongside Prabowo, Gibran helped deliver a large first-round victory in February 2024, and the pair took office in October 2024. CNA reports that he has kept a low profile as vice president and that the current crisis comes amid a widening rift between Prabowo and Jokowi. On Monday, three senior members of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) who serve in Prabowo's cabinet announced they were leaving the party, which is led by Gibran's younger brother, Kaesang Pangarep.