Key takeaways
- Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka tendered his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto on November 11, 2026, according to an aide who spoke to Reuters.
- The resignation follows Constitutional Court and Supreme Court rulings that his education documents did not meet the requirements for standing in the 2024 election.
- The upper house of parliament must declare the post vacant, and Prabowo must then submit two candidate names for a replacement, according to Senior Law Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra.
- Reuters reported that the move threatens to split a key political alliance between Prabowo and former president Joko Widodo, the vice president's father.
Indonesia’s Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has resigned, an aide said on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. The aide, Budi Arie Setiadi, told Reuters that Gibran handed his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto earlier that day. The step comes after court rulings on his education records and threatens to widen a rift inside the ruling alliance in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Gibran is 39 years old and the son of former president Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi. According to Reuters, he came under intense scrutiny after Constitutional Court and Supreme Court rulings last month found that his education documents did not meet election requirements. Neither the presidency nor Gibran’s office had issued a detailed public statement at the time of writing.
Why did Indonesia’s vice president resign?
The immediate trigger is a dispute over whether Gibran met the educational qualification to run in the 2024 election. In a ruling reported by the Bangkok Post, a court said no evidence showed he held a foreign diploma that could serve as the basis for equivalency with senior high school.
Pressure also came from parliament. The Bangkok Post reported that 120 lawmakers from eight parties submitted a petition demanding his impeachment only hours before the resignation was reported. Mardani Ali Sera, one of the signatories, said Gibran “no longer meets the requirements as vice president,” according to Kuwait Times.
The sequence began a day earlier. State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said Gibran told Prabowo of his intention to step down during a meeting of about two and a half hours on November 10, as reported by EconoTimes. Hadi said Gibran also wanted to defend his educational records through legal proceedings. Later on November 10, Gibran told reporters that Prabowo had advised him to fight to prove his credentials, according to Politiko, which noted that he did not mention resignation in those remarks.
What happens next in the succession process?
Under the procedure described by Senior Law Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the upper house of parliament must convene a session to declare a vacancy once the resignation letter is submitted. It must also ask the president to put forward two names for a new vice president, the Bangkok Post reported.
Two sources at the upper house told Reuters, via MarketScreener, that Gibran would submit his letter to the chamber on Thursday morning, November 12. The same report said Prabowo gave a long speech at a political party event late on Wednesday without mentioning the resignation.
Bernama, citing Antara, reported that Budi Arie Setiadi, who chairs the volunteer group Projo, confirmed the formal submission. Projo was founded to support Jokowi and also backed the Prabowo-Gibran ticket in 2024.
What does the resignation mean for the Prabowo-Jokowi alliance?
Reuters described the move as a threat to a key political alliance. Prabowo is a powerful former general who lost to Jokowi in two presidential races before receiving his support. Reuters said the resignation comes amid signs of strain, including Prabowo’s dismissal last week of his chief of staff, widely seen as a Jokowi loyalist, after the official was arrested on accusations of bugging the president and other figures.
Gibran’s place on the 2024 ticket was widely seen as a quid pro quo, according to Politiko’s account of Reuters reporting. Prabowo gained from Jokowi’s popularity, while Jokowi kept political influence and protection for his legacy. With the vice president gone, that bargain loses its most visible symbol.
Parliament is overwhelmingly controlled by Prabowo’s “big tent” coalition, the same report noted. The cross-party impeachment petition therefore signals that the pressure on Gibran extended well beyond opposition benches. How Prabowo chooses the two nominees will be an early test of whether he seeks reconciliation with Jokowi’s camp or a clearer break.
How are markets reacting to the Indonesia vice president resignation?
Market reaction so far has been mixed. Tempo reported that the Jakarta Composite Index closed up 1.02 percent at 5,125 on November 10, while the rupiah strengthened to Rp18,062 per US dollar. Tempo cited an analyst who linked part of the rupiah move to traders anticipating that day’s protests. It also reported that the market capitalization of the Indonesia Stock Exchange fell 7.52 percent that week.
On Wednesday the rupiah weakened to about Rp18,140 per dollar, according to EconoTimes, which attributed the move partly to US inflation data that lifted interest rate expectations (see the Intelligence Report analysis of the October CPI). The Jakarta market largely shrugged off the earlier resignation offer, Streamline Feed reported, though it noted that sentiment was already fragile after an October selloff and an index provider’s consultation on downgrading Indonesia’s market status. That provider was identified as MSCI.
Bank Danamon chief economist Irman Faiz said the main concern was not the resignation itself but how coalition realignments would shape economic leadership and policy continuity through 2027, according to a report on Archyde.
What to watch
- November 12, 2026: whether Gibran delivers his letter to the upper house, as two sources told Reuters he would, and whether the chamber schedules a session to declare the vacancy.
- Prabowo’s two nominees: whether the names come from Jokowi-aligned figures, from Prabowo’s own party or from other coalition partners.
- Prabowo’s public response: he had not addressed the resignation in his speech on Wednesday night.
- Gibran’s legal track: he has said he wants to prove his diplomas through the courts, and he said on November 10 that he would appeal the Supreme Court ruling.
- Markets: the rupiah around Rp18,100 per dollar, and the MSCI review of Indonesia’s market status.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Gibran Rakabuming Raka?
Gibran Rakabuming Raka is Indonesia's 14th vice president, aged 39. He is the son of former president Joko Widodo and took office in October 2024 alongside President Prabowo Subianto. He previously served as mayor of Surakarta before resigning that post in July 2024.
Why did Gibran resign as vice president?
According to Reuters, he faced intense scrutiny after Constitutional Court and Supreme Court rulings that his education documents did not meet election requirements. More than 100 lawmakers also petitioned for his impeachment. State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said he wanted to defend his records through legal proceedings.
Who replaces Indonesia's vice president?
Under the process described by Senior Law Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, the upper house declares a vacancy after receiving the resignation letter. President Prabowo Subianto then submits two candidate names, and the chamber selects a replacement. No nominees have been announced as of November 11, 2026.
Sources
- Indonesia's vice president has resigned, aide says (Reuters via Canberra Times)
- Indonesian VP resigns over election ruling (Bangkok Post)
- Indonesian Vice-President Gibran Formally Submits Resignation, Projo Chairman Says (Bernama)
- Indonesia's vice president has resigned, aide says, stoking political uncertainty (Reuters via MarketScreener)
- Indonesia's VP resigns, stoking political crisis (Kuwait Times)
- JCI, Rupiah Close Stronger as VP Gibran Offers to Resign (Tempo)
- Rupiah Weakens; Minister Says Gibran Expressed Intent to Resign (EconoTimes)
- Indonesia VP expresses intent to step down in talks with President, official says (Politiko)
- Indonesian stocks steady as vice-president offers to resign (Streamline Feed)
Top image: Dati Bendo / European Union / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.
