Indonesia's Vice President, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, resigned on 12 November after weeks of pressure over whether he met the minimum educational requirement to stand for office, AFP reported. The Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Ahmad Muzani, announced that Gibran had submitted his resignation letter to parliament's leaders and to President Prabowo Subianto.

Indonesia's election law requires presidential and vice-presidential candidates to have completed senior high school or an equivalent. When Gibran, the eldest son of former president Joko Widodo, registered as Prabowo's running mate for the 2024 election, he submitted an equivalency certificate dated 6 August 2019, issued by the education ministry's Directorate General of Primary and Secondary Education. It treated his overseas schooling in Singapore and Australia as equivalent to an Indonesian vocational high school qualification, according to the Jakarta Globe.

Two court rulings

On 6 October the Constitutional Court dismissed a petition challenging his eligibility as inadmissible. The Jakarta Post and the Jakarta Globe reported that the court also found no convincing evidence that his foreign schooling met the minimum high-school requirement. On 30 October the Supreme Court declared the equivalency certificate invalid, according to Bernama, citing the Antara news agency.

The Jakarta Globe noted that neither ruling established forgery. The dispute concerned whether the documents he submitted proved completion of secondary education, not whether he attended the schools named or later earned a bachelor's degree in Singapore. Gibran has said that he could not have studied at university without finishing school.

Path to resignation

After the Supreme Court ruling, lawmakers from several party factions moved towards a formal parliamentary motion over his eligibility, which could have opened the way to impeachment proceedings. On 10 November State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said Gibran had told the President he intended to step down, while asking for a chance to defend the validity of his documents before the Jakarta State Administrative Court. AFP reported no public statement from Gibran on the validity of the certificate in his resignation.

Under Indonesia's constitution, when the vice presidency falls vacant the MPR must convene within 60 days to choose a successor from two candidates proposed by the President.

Why it matters for credential checks

The case shows how eligibility for public office can turn on documentary proof of completion, not just attendance. Election bodies and employers that accept foreign schooling usually rely on an equivalency decision from an education authority. That decision is only as reliable as the underlying records, so verification should confirm completion records with the original institutions before the equivalency is issued.

Sources

This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.

IndonesiaEquivalency certificateSupreme CourtElection eligibilityGibran Rakabuming Raka

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