Courts have ruled Gibran did not meet education requirement to run in 2024 election
JAKARTA – More than 100 Indonesian lawmakers have signed a petition that opens the door for the impeachment of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, a move that risks further stoking political tensions in the country.
Gibran reportedly stated his intention to resign during a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday.
The son of former president Joko Widodo, Gibran has come under intense scrutiny following rulings last month by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court that his education documents did not meet election requirements.
The controversy has unfolded amid a widening rift between Widodo, also known as Jokowi, and Prabowo.
The petition signed by lawmakers from several parties in parliament states that Gibran is not eligible for office because of the court rulings, said Muhammad Kholid, one of the signatories.
The petition will be submitted to the House speaker, Kholid told Reuters, adding that the formal declaration of the lawmakers’ position on the issue would lead into the impeachment process.
The Supreme Court said in a ruling published on its website late Tuesday that it was instructing the education ministry to withdraw Gibran’s education equivalence certificate, which the court has annulled.
Gibran, 39, studied abroad and submitted the certificate to comply with the education requirements and run in the 2024 election, which he won alongside Prabowo.
Indonesian election law requires vice-presidential candidates to have completed senior high school or an equivalent level of education, but the court found that the certificate was issued based on evidence that did not actually prove Jokowi’s eldest son had graduated.
“No evidence was found to show Gibran had a foreign diploma or certificate that could serve as the basis for equivalency with a senior high school or equivalent qualification,” the court said in the ruling.
The Supreme Court also took into account the Constitutional Court’s ruling, which said Gibran’s education documents did not meet election requirements. (Story continues below)
Gibran Rakabuming Raka (left) joins Gen Prabowo Subianto after they registered to run for president and vice-president in the 2024 elections, at election commission headquarters in Jakarta on Oct 25, 2023. (Photo: Reuters)
Sana Jaffrey, a researcher at Australian National University, said it would be difficult to imagine that lawmakers will move against Gibran without Prabowo’s awareness or approval.
“Prabowo’s silence suggests that he wants Gibran’s removal without bearing the potential political cost of openly engineering it, particularly a possible backlash from Jokowi supporters whose backing helped secure his victory,” she said.
She said the crisis shows how the political fortunes of a small number of elites take precedence over the country’s need for effective and stable governance.
“Prolonged uncertainty at the highest levels of power will only deepen anxieties at home and abroad about where the country is headed,” she said.
