Prabowo Accepts Resignation of Vice President Gibran Following High School Equivalency Ruling

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka resigned from office on Thursday (12/11/2026) following a legal ruling that invalidated his high school equivalency credentials, triggering a rare mid-term leadership transition in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

President Prabowo Subianto accepted the resignation with regret during an emotional press briefing at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, praising his 14th vice president for demonstrating statesmanship while urging the nation to maintain political calm. Following the announcement, Gibran kissed Prabowo’s right hand and embraced the president before departing the presidential complex past an honor guard.

The sudden departure stems from a binding Supreme Court ruling and the subsequent administrative revocation of Gibran’s 2019 high school equivalency certificate, which raised constitutional eligibility questions under Indonesia’s electoral system. According to court filings and Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education records, the dispute arose because Gibran—despite earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom—completed his secondary education abroad via an O-Level program at Singapore’s Orchid Park Secondary School and a university pathway program at Australia’s UTS Insearch rather than a standard Indonesian senior high school, creating a credential gap that plaintiffs argued failed to satisfy Indonesian Election Law. Even as Gibran’s legal team signaled plans to challenge procedural aspects of a related administrative court dismissal, financial markets staged a broad relief rally as investors welcomed an orderly transition.

Prabowo Accepts Resignation, Praises Two-Year Field Record

Gibran personally delivered his resignation letter to Prabowo at the Merdeka Palace at 10:15 a.m. local time before proceeding to the parliamentary complex in Senayan to submit the formal notice to the leadership of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR).

"At 10:15 today, I received a visit from the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, Brother Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who delivered a letter to me whose essence is conveying his statement of resignation from the office of Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia," Prabowo said in his palace statement.

MPR Speaker Ahmad Muzani confirmed Gibran's official resignation after receiving the formal letter at Nusantara III Building in Jakarta. "Mas Gibran conveyed the purpose of his visit to meet all of us, as the leadership of the MPR, which was to deliver his letter of resignation from his position as Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia," Muzani told reporters.

Prabowo noted that Gibran consulted with him over several days prior to stepping down after a legal decision pointed to a deficiency in meeting constitutional eligibility requirements. Despite the setback, the president lauded Gibran’s decision to step aside voluntarily.

"With a heavy heart, I accept the letter and respect as well as support the decision he has taken. To me, he has shown a chivalrous attitude, full of responsibility, and demonstrated statesmanship," Prabowo said.

Highlighting their division of labor over the past two years, Prabowo credited Gibran with overseeing on-the-ground implementation of flagship government programs while the president focused on central regulatory and economic reforms aligned with Articles 33 and 34 of the 1945 Constitution. According to Prabowo, Gibran visited 35 provinces and 149 regencies and cities, conducting direct inspections across 303 government project sites.

"This demonstrates his hard work, dedication, and commitment in carrying out the mandate. For all that devotion and hard work, I express my deepest gratitude and appreciation," Prabowo said, adding that he remains confident in the former Solo mayor’s future political and public service career. "Justice and prosperity can only come in a cool, peaceful atmosphere, where all elements show magnanimity and demonstrate statesmanship."

Later in the afternoon, Gibran returned to the Vice Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta, spending roughly 90 minutes from 12:30 p.m. in a closed-door farewell with Vice Presidential Secretariat staff and volunteer representatives. Stepping out of the main building at 2:00 p.m., Gibran walked through the courtyard shaking hands and waving to crowds of supporters chanting his name, declining to speak to waiting reporters before his motorcade departed the compound at 2:20 p.m.

Court Dismisses Equivalency Suit After Ministry Revocation

Hours after the palace announcement, a panel of judges at the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN) officially terminated proceedings and dismissed lawsuit number 255/G/2026/PTUN.JKT filed by PT Mercy Toga Kirana regarding Gibran’s high school equivalency certificate.

Presiding Judge Rahmadi, alongside judges Yustika Hardiwiyantita and Luthfi, ruled that the disputed object—Director General of Primary and Secondary Education Certificate Number 9149/D.D1/KS/2019 dated August 6, 2019—had ceased to exist factually. On November 11, 2026, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education issued Decree Number 206 of 2026 revoking the equivalency document to execute Supreme Court Cassation Ruling Number 742 K/TUN/2026.

Drawing a legal analogy to Article 132 paragraph (1) letter b of the Criminal Code regarding the termination of prosecution when a defendant passes away, the court held that continuing the trial over a revoked decree would render any verdict non-executable and violate principles of swift justice. "Adjudicating, first, declares the Plaintiff's lawsuit void. Second, orders the Plaintiff to pay court costs amounting to Rp 457,000," Rahmadi read in court.

Gibran’s legal counsel, Rullyandi, rejected the dismissal and argued that the panel contradicted its own November 5 interlocutory order to proceed to a final verdict, denying Gibran the opportunity to prove his complete educational record from elementary school through his bachelor's degree. "Legally, it is still possible. Even though the judge said earlier that there is no room to file an appeal, under procedural law, a court ruling anywhere can be appealed," Rullyandi told reporters, adding that his team would consult with Gibran on next steps while questioning the speed of the Supreme Court's October 30 cassation decision.

Equities Rally 2.66% as Officials Move to Reassure Markets

Financial markets reacted favorably to the peaceful resolution of the leadership crisis, with the Jakarta Composite Index (IHSG) surging 135.86 points, or 2.66%, to close at 5,250 on Thursday across Rp 10.68 trillion in turnover, rebounding from Wednesday's 0.21% dip. All 11 sectoral indices finished in positive territory, led by industrials up 4.53%, transportation up 3.12%, and energy up 2.86%, while blue-chip lenders PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Tbk (BBRI) jumped 5.94%, PT Bank Mandiri Tbk (BMRI) gained 3.18%, and PT Bank Central Asia Tbk (BBCA) rose 2.82%.

Market analysts noted that the orderly resignation removed a major political overhang, coinciding with MSCI’s latest Indonesia index rebalancing—which excluded seven to eight local stocks according to market reports—and foreign net buying of Rp 83.61 billion during the morning session, even as the rupiah weakened to Rp 18,240 per dollar. "Financial markets tend to hate uncertainty. Certainty that leadership and legal processes are proceeding clearly gives market participants clarity to measure risk," Mirae Asset Sekuritas Indonesia Senior Technical Analyst M. Nafan Aji Gusta told Investortrust.

Deputy Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Dradjad Hari Wibowo similarly urged investors not to overreact to political headlines, pointing to institutional safeguards at the Financial Services Authority (OJK), the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), and the domestic bond market. "Political dynamics usually get noisy for a little while, and after that things calm down again. I have been in politics quite a long time since 2004—a solid 22 years," Dradjad told a press conference at his ministry in Jakarta. "So there is no need to panic too much over political dynamics. As for fundamentals, no. If the market reacts for one or two hours, or one or two days, that is normal."

Dradjad added that the executive branch is leaving the constitutional process of filling the vice-presidential vacancy to parliament while focusing on economic momentum. Citing third-quarter 2026 household consumption growth that outpaced the same period in 2025, alongside the addition of 13.7 million new retail stock market investors this year, he dismissed concerns over weakening domestic purchasing power. "With the improvements carried out by OJK, by IDX, and also with our bond market, our market will be strong enough to face the existing political dynamics," he said.