Is Indonesia about to lose its vice president? Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the 39 year old son of former president Joko Widodo, told President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday 10 November that he intends to step down, presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi said. "During the discussion, the vice president expressed his intention to resign in light of the evolving situation," Prasetyo told reporters, according to CNA. He denied reports that Prabowo had rejected the request, but stopped short of saying it had been accepted.
Gibran's own account was different in tone. He said Prabowo advised him to keep fighting at the Administrative Court, after rulings last month found the education documents he filed as a 2024 candidate did not meet election requirements. The episode comes a day after three Cabinet members quit the party led by Gibran's younger brother, and it exposes a widening rift between Prabowo and Jokowi, the man who helped put him in power.
What the courts found
The dispute centres on the documents Gibran submitted when he ran as Prabowo's running mate. Last month the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court found that the education records did not meet election requirements. The Constitutional Court said, however, that it had no power to disqualify a sitting vice president, which it said was the responsibility of other institutions. That left the matter hanging between the courts, the election authorities and parliament.
Gibran said at a press conference that Prabowo "offered a great deal of advice and input concerning the current situation", including that he should pursue the case at the Administrative Court "by presenting all my academic records". The advice reads as an invitation to clear his name through the courts rather than resign immediately, though the palace has not said what it will do if Gibran insists.
Lawmakers in parliament, which is overwhelmingly controlled by Prabowo's "big tent" coalition, have been weighing an inquiry into the documents. Some analysts believe such an inquiry could be the first step towards impeachment, a process that in Indonesia runs through parliament, the Constitutional Court and finally the People's Consultative Assembly, the MPR.
The Prabowo and Jokowi rift
Gibran's position has always rested on his father. Jokowi, the popular two term president who defeated Prabowo in 2014 and 2019, tacitly backed his old rival in 2024, and Gibran's place on the ticket helped Prabowo win by a wide margin. The partnership was controversial from the start, because Gibran qualified only after a 2023 Constitutional Court ruling on age limits issued while Jokowi's brother in law led the court.
For two years Gibran kept a low profile and appeared with Prabowo infrequently. As tensions grew between the president and the former president, the vice president moved into the spotlight. Prabowo now controls parliament, the security forces and the main economic levers, and he has less need for the Widodo family's popularity than he did as a candidate.
That shift may explain the timing. A drawn out legal fight over Gibran's papers would keep the Widodo name in the headlines and give the coalition a lever over the family's future plans, including any ambitions for 2029.
Prabowo no longer needs the Widodo name to govern. The question is whether he wants it gone, or simply wants it to know who is in charge.
The timing is awkward for a government trying to reassure investors. Indonesia's stock market has been among the weakest in the world this year, and the IMF expects Vietnam to overtake Indonesia in income per person in 2026, a milestone we covered in our report on Vietnam passing Indonesia in GDP per capita. A public fight at the top of the state is the kind of distraction Prabowo's economic team would rather avoid, which may be one reason the palace has avoided any sharp statement.
Three ministers walk out of PSI
On Monday 9 November, three senior members of the Indonesian Solidarity Party, PSI, who serve in Prabowo's Cabinet announced they were leaving the party. They are Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, who was also PSI's secretary general, Deputy Minister of Culture Giring Ganesha Djumaryo and Deputy Minister of Population and Family Development Isyana Bagoes Oka.
Each framed the move as a commitment to the government. Raja Juli said he wanted to "work full time and concentrate fully on helping President Prabowo Subianto as forestry minister". Giring said there were "things that are no longer aligned with what I have been fighting for from the beginning", in a video with a portrait of Prabowo visible behind him. PSI chairman Kaesang Pangarep, Jokowi's youngest son, said public service should come before party interests.
The departures hurt PSI at a delicate moment. The party has never won a seat in the national parliament, failing in 2019 and 2024, and it has been trying to build support for 2029. Jokowi only acknowledged openly in September that he had been a member since October 2025. Losing its best known officials to Prabowo's camp suggests where ambitious politicians see their future.
What happens if Gibran goes
Indonesia's constitution sets out a clear route. If the vice presidency falls vacant, the People's Consultative Assembly elects a new vice president from two candidates proposed by the president, which would give Prabowo direct influence over his next deputy. The realistic outcomes now include:
- Gibran stays and fights the rulings at the Administrative Court, as Prabowo suggested
- Gibran resigns and Prabowo nominates two candidates to the MPR
- parliament opens an inquiry that could lead to impeachment proceedings
- a negotiated exit that limits damage to the Widodo family
Markets have so far treated the drama as political noise rather than a risk to policy, which is set by Prabowo and his economic team. Investors have bigger concerns in Indonesia, including the stock market's fall this year and the risk of an index downgrade, which we covered in our report on Indonesian tycoons losing 57 billion dollars.
Still, a vacancy would reshape the succession picture for 2029. With Gibran out, Prabowo would choose his own deputy and the Widodo family would lose its most powerful foothold in government.
Has Gibran resigned as vice president?
Not formally. He expressed his intention to resign in a meeting with Prabowo on 10 November 2026, but the palace has not said the resignation was accepted.
Did Prabowo reject Gibran's resignation?
His spokesperson denied reports that Prabowo rejected it, but did not say he had accepted it. Gibran said Prabowo advised him to fight the rulings in court.
Why might Gibran step down?
The Constitutional Court and Supreme Court ruled that education documents he submitted as a 2024 candidate did not meet election requirements.
Can the courts remove Gibran?
The Constitutional Court said it did not have the power to disqualify him and that this was for other institutions.
Could Gibran be impeached?
Lawmakers are weighing an inquiry into his documents, which some analysts see as a possible first step toward impeachment.
Who would replace Gibran?
Under the constitution, the MPR elects a new vice president from two candidates proposed by the president.
Who is Gibran Rakabuming Raka?
The 39 year old eldest son of former president Joko Widodo, a former mayor of Solo, elected vice president in 2024 as Prabowo's running mate.
Why are Prabowo and Jokowi at odds?
Reports describe a widening political rift as Prabowo consolidates power and relies less on the Widodo family's popularity.
Which ministers left PSI?
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, Deputy Culture Minister Giring Ganesha Djumaryo and Deputy Population Minister Isyana Bagoes Oka.
Who leads PSI?
Kaesang Pangarep, Jokowi's youngest son and Gibran's brother.
Is Jokowi a member of PSI?
Yes. He acknowledged in September 2026 that he had joined PSI in October 2025.
Has PSI ever won seats in parliament?
No. It failed to win seats in the national parliament in 2019 and 2024.
Does this affect Indonesia's economy?
Markets have treated it as political noise so far, since economic policy is set by Prabowo's government, but a vacancy would add uncertainty.
What is the Administrative Court?
Indonesia's state administrative court, which hears disputes over government decisions and is where Prabowo suggested Gibran contest the rulings.
When is Indonesia's next election?
The next presidential and legislative elections are due in 2029.
What did Gibran say after meeting Prabowo?
He said Prabowo gave him advice on the situation, including that he should continue his case at the Administrative Court by presenting all his academic records.
Gibran's stated wish to step down turns a legal dispute over paperwork into a test of power between Indonesia's sitting president and its most popular former one. Prabowo has told his deputy to fight on, but he also holds the pen if the post falls vacant, and the departures from PSI suggest the political centre of gravity has already moved.
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