Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has resigned, an aide said yesterday, a move that threatens to split a key political alliance and risks further political uncertainty in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Gibran, the 39-year-old son of former President Joko Widodo, has come under intense scrutiny from legislators following Constitutional Court and Supreme Court rulings last month that his education documents did not meet election requirements.
The aide, Budi Arie Setiadi, told Reuters that Gibran had tendered his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto yesterday.
Separately, two sources at the parliamentary upper house, which will oversee the process of approving his resignation and selecting a replacement, said that he would submit his resignation letter to the upper house today.
Neither Gibran’s office nor Prabowo’s office responded to a request for comment.
Late last night, Prabowo gave a long speech at a political party event. He did not mention Gibran’s resignation.
The resignation comes amid growing signs of strain in the political alliance between Prabowo, a powerful former general, and Widodo, also known as Jokowi, a highly popular leader who twice defeated Prabowo for the presidency before giving him his support after facing term limits.
An open split could spark further instability for an administration hit by scandals over signature programmes, such as its free school meals policy, and doubts over its handling of the economy, political analysts say.
The parliamentary upper house will have to convene a session to declare a vacancy following the submission of Gibran’s resignation letter.
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