Indonesian Vice-President Gibran Formally Submits Resignation Letter

By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil

JAKARTA, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- Indonesian Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka on Thursday formally submitted his resignation letter to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), its Speaker Ahmad Muzani said.

He said Gibran personally handed over the letter during a meeting lasting about 20 minutes at the Nusantara III building within the parliamentary complex in Jakarta, informing the assembly's leadership that an identical letter had been submitted to President Prabowo Subianto.

“During the meeting, Gibran explained that his purpose in meeting the MPR leadership was to submit his resignation letter as Vice-President of the Republic of Indonesia,” he told reporters after the meeting.

The MPR comprises members of the House of Representatives (DPR) and Regional Representative Council (DPD), with constitutional powers that include electing a replacement vice-president in the event of a vacancy.

Ahmad Muzani said Gibran had requested that the MPR immediately process his resignation, and the assembly's leadership would meet later Thursday to discuss the next steps.

“The MPR leadership will hold a meeting today to follow up on the resignation, allowing the assembly to convene a joint meeting involving leaders of MPR factions and the DPD group to determine the next steps,” he said.

He said the MPR has a maximum of 60 days from Gibran's resignation to elect a new vice-president, while President Prabowo has 14 days from the issuance of the MPR's formal request to submit two candidates for the position.

Gibran's formal submission of his resignation letter followed a meeting with Prabowo at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday (Nov 10), during which he expressed his intention to step down amid legal developments concerning his educational documents.

State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the meeting lasted about two-and-a-half hours and that Prabowo had not rejected Gibran's intention to resign.

Prior to his meeting with the MPR leadership, Gibran again met with Prabowo at the Presidential Palace on Thursday morning, according to state news agency Antara.

Indonesia's Constitutional Court ruled on Oct 6 that a petition challenging Gibran's eligibility to hold office was inadmissible, while the Supreme Court subsequently declared his senior high school education equivalency certificate invalid on Oct 30, Antara reported.

-- BERNAMA