Prabowo Delays Vice Presidential Pick Until After Foreign Tour as Coalition Parties Defer to President

JAKARTA, Investortrust.id — President Prabowo Subianto will postpone selecting two nominees to replace outgoing Vice President Gibran Rakabuming until after returning from diplomatic summits in the Philippines and China, leaving Indonesia temporarily without a vice president to deputize for him during his overseas absence.

Speaking at the 114th anniversary celebration of Islamic organization Muhammadiyah in Palu, Central Sulawesi, on Saturday (11/14/2026), Prabowo said he needs divine guidance before submitting candidates to parliament following Gibran's resignation on Thursday (11/12/2026).

"When I return from there, I must find a replacement for the vice president. I must get a whisper from the One Above, the Almighty," Prabowo said during his address in Palu.

The delay leaves Southeast Asia's largest democracy temporarily without a constitutional deputy at home while the president conducts high-level diplomacy abroad, testing executive continuity in the wake of Gibran Rakabuming's abrupt resignation. At the same time, major coalition parties' reluctance to put forward their own cadres signals an effort to avoid destabilizing power struggles ahead of the People's Consultative Assembly's December 2 vote.

Overseas Diplomatic Schedule and Constitutional Timeline

Prabowo emphasized a packed schedule ahead of the selection process, noting he worked late at the Bogor Presidential Palace on Friday (11/13/2026) before flying to Palu early Saturday morning. From Central Sulawesi, the president is scheduled to depart for Manila to attend the 49th ASEAN Summit on November 15–17, 2026, before continuing to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

With the vice presidency vacant, Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra noted that the president will lead the cabinet remotely from abroad.

In Jakarta, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) has initiated the constitutional procedure to fill the vacancy. Following a joint leadership meeting at the parliamentary complex in Senayan on Friday (11/13/2026), MPR Speaker Ahmad Muzani confirmed that the assembly sent an official letter requesting Prabowo to submit two vice presidential nominees.

"Our obligation as leaders is that today we will sign the letter to the president and today we will also send it to Mr. President," Muzani told reporters.

Addressing questions over whether Prabowo holds absolute prerogative or must accommodate coalition party proposals under Law No. 17/2014 on legislative bodies (UU MD3), Muzani pointed directly to constitutional provisions. "According to the 1945 Constitution, it states that the president proposes two names. Where they come from is not specified in the elucidation of the law," Muzani said, asking the public to remain patient.

The MPR has formed a 36-member verification team alongside a 36-member ad hoc committee to vet the candidates. Muzani confirmed that the MPR will hold a plenary session to elect, inaugurate, and confirm the new vice president on Wednesday, December 2, 2026.

Coalition Parties Decline to Field Candidates

Following a closed-door meeting between Prabowo and coalition party leaders at the Bogor Palace on Friday evening, National Mandate Party (PAN) Chairman Zulkifli Hasan dismissed speculation that nominees had already been finalized. He said Prabowo gave coalition members one week to hold internal discussions before reconvening upon his return from abroad.

Zulkifli, who also serves as Coordinating Minister for Food, confirmed that PAN will not put forward any of its own cadres and instead suggested selecting a figure from Prabowo's Gerindra Party. "The National Mandate Party has no cadres running, none. It is entirely up to him," Zulkifli said. "If it is up to us, perhaps friends from Gerindra."

The Golkar Party similarly ruled out nominating its own cadres. Golkar lawmaker Melchias Markus Mekeng stated on Thursday (11/12/2026) that the party led by Bahlil Lahadalia is giving Prabowo full latitude to choose either a party politician or an independent professional. Political analysts Herry Mendrofa of the Centre for Indonesia Strategic Actions (CISA) and Ujang Komarudin of Al-Azhar University Indonesia praised Golkar's stance as a move to prevent factional friction and preserve coalition stability.

Meanwhile, the National Awakening Party (PKB) rejected rumors that it had proposed Chairman Muhaimin Iskandar for the post. PKB lawmaker Muhammad Khozin said the party never discussed vice presidential nominations and is focused on resolving the diploma controversy surrounding Gibran so the government can accelerate its programs. "From the beginning of this issue—from the inquiry right, the right to express an opinion, up to the resignation of Mr. Gibran—there was never any thought about a replacement vice presidential candidate," Khozin said.

PDIP Outlines Criteria and Prabowo Critiques High-Cost Politics

Outside the core coalition, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) Executive Board Chairman Said Abdullah outlined key qualifications for the incoming vice president, emphasizing personal chemistry with Prabowo, governance experience, and loyalty to prevent dual centers of power—commonly referred to in Indonesian politics as "twin suns."

"Someone who can understand the president's character and simultaneously position themselves and know their place as vice president," Said remarked, adding that the ideal candidate could potentially pair with Prabowo again in the 2029 presidential election while leaving the final decision entirely to the president.

During his speech in Palu, Prabowo also used the occasion to critique Indonesia's high-cost electoral system, warning against a democracy compromised by illicit money. He cited campaign costs reaching Rp 40 billion to Rp 50 billion for House of Representatives (DPR) seats and up to Rp 100 billion for regency elections without guaranteeing victory.

"We want democracy, but not a democracy that can ultimately be bought, held hostage, or controlled by those with money obtained through unlawful means," Prabowo said.