More than 100 members of Indonesia's legislature signed a petition this week arguing that Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka is ineligible to continue in office, opening a path that could culminate in impeachment. The development follows rulings by the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court last month that found deficiencies in the education documentation Gibran relied on to meet electoral requirements.
The petition, signed by lawmakers from several parties, contends that the court rulings mean Gibran "no longer meets the requirements as VP candidate," according to Muhammad Kholid, one of the parliamentarians who signed the document. Kholid said the petition will be submitted to the House speaker, and that the lawmakers' formal declaration on the matter would lead into the impeachment process.
The Supreme Court published a ruling late on Tuesday on its website instructing the education ministry to withdraw Gibran's education equivalence certificate, which the court annulled. That certificate had been used to satisfy Indonesia's election law requirement that vice-presidential candidates hold senior high school completion or an equivalent qualification.
Gibran, who studied abroad, presented the equivalence certificate as the basis for meeting that education requirement when he stood in the 2024 election and subsequently won the vice-presidency alongside President Prabowo Subianto. The courts, however, found the evidence underpinning the certificate insufficient. In its ruling the court stated: "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 Supreme Court also referenced the Constitutional Court's earlier finding that the documents did not meet election requirements.
The controversy has unfolded amid an increasingly apparent political split between former president Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi, and the current president, Prabowo Subianto. That widening rift has intensified speculation about Gibran's political future. Gibran told Prabowo during a meeting on Tuesday that he intended to resign, according to accounts of the encounter.
Observers have noted the political sensitivity of moves against the vice president. Sana Jaffrey, a researcher at Australian National University, said it would be difficult to imagine lawmakers acting 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.
Jaffrey also warned that the dispute illustrates how the political fortunes of a small group of elites can eclipse wider needs for steady, effective governance. "Prolonged uncertainty at the highest levels of power will only deepen anxieties at home and abroad about where the country is headed," she added.
The parliamentary petition and the courts' annulment of the equivalence certificate place Indonesia's leadership in a period of legal and political uncertainty. The petition's next procedural step is submission to the House speaker, after which the formal stance of the signatory lawmakers could move the process toward impeachment. At the same time, the Supreme Court has ordered the education ministry to act on the annulled certificate, a directive that further underlines the legal basis for the challenge to Gibran's eligibility.
How the situation unfolds will depend on parliamentary deliberations, any responses from the president and vice president, and required administrative actions by the education ministry. For now, the documented rulings and the coordinated petition by a large group of MPs have set the country on a path where impeachment is a tangible procedural possibility.
Key points
- Over 100 lawmakers have signed a petition asserting Vice President Gibran is ineligible due to court rulings on his education documents.
- The Supreme Court annulled Gibran's education equivalence certificate and instructed the education ministry to withdraw it; the Constitutional Court had previously ruled the documents did not meet election requirements.
- The petition will be submitted to the House speaker and, according to a signatory, could lead into the impeachment process; the dispute unfolds amid a widening rift between former president Jokowi and President Prabowo Subianto.
Risks and uncertainties
- Legal and political uncertainty about the vice president's eligibility could prolong instability at the highest levels of government, a development flagged as likely to deepen anxieties both domestically and internationally.
- The role and stance of President Prabowo Subianto remain unclear; observers note his silence could signal a preference for Gibran's removal without publicly shouldering the political cost, creating unpredictability in political maneuvering.
- Administrative follow-through is required from the education ministry to withdraw the annulled equivalence certificate, and the timing and execution of that action will affect the pace and character of any subsequent impeachment process.