Indonesia's House of Representatives is pressing ahead with a move to impeach Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, even though he offered to resign on Tuesday. More than 100 lawmakers from all eight House parties, including President Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra, signed a petition stating that Gibran no longer meets the requirements to serve as vice president.
House leaders formally received the petition on Wednesday. Deputy Speaker Saan Mustopa of the Nasdem party, who chaired the meeting, said it met the requirements, and it was put on the agenda of a plenary session for a decision on Thursday. The outcome was not known at the time of writing.
Why the motion exists
Two court rulings are behind it. The Supreme Court annulled the validity of the education certificate Gibran used for his 2024 candidacy, and the Constitutional Court found no convincing evidence that his overseas schooling met the minimum high-school requirement for running for office.
On Tuesday State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi told a press conference that Gibran had told Prabowo of his intention to resign in light of those developments, in a meeting of about two and a half hours. Prasetyo denied reports that Prabowo had refused the request and said the president only offered advice. He said Gibran had asked for time to prove the validity of his documents through proceedings at the Jakarta State Administrative Court. It remained unclear whether Gibran had formally submitted a resignation or whether Prabowo had accepted one.
The procedure
A motion of opinion needs the signatures of at least 25 of the House's 580 members. It must then be approved in a plenary session attended by at least two-thirds of lawmakers, with at least two-thirds of those present voting in favour. A Gerindra lawmaker, Azis Subekti, said the party backed the motion partly because of public concern and wants the matter settled quickly.
An unconfirmed forwarded message told lawmakers not to travel outside Jakarta on Wednesday and Thursday, which fuelled talk that the House wanted to pass the motion quickly. Analysts quoted in the reporting suggested Gibran may be delaying a formal announcement to test whether he can still win public support. The report did not give Prabowo's own position on the impeachment.
