Over 100 Indonesian lawmakers sign petition seeking vice-president’s impeachment

JAKARTA — More than 100 Indonesian lawmakers from across the political spectrum submitted a petition on Wednesday demanding the impeachment of Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, a move that risks further stoking political tensions in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

Mr. Gibran, the son of former president Joko Widodo, has come under intense scrutiny following Constitutional Court and Supreme Court rulings last month that his education documents did not meet election requirements.

The controversy has unfolded amid a widening rift between Mr. Widodo, also known as Jokowi, and current President Prabowo Subianto, fueling speculation over Mr. Gibran’s political future.

Mr. Gibran stated his intention to resign during a meeting with Mr. Prabowo on Tuesday.

Parliament’s Deputy Speaker Saan Mustopa said the petition seeking Mr. Gibran’s impeachment was submitted by 120 lawmakers from eight parties in parliament.

Mr. Gibran, as vice-president, “no longer meets the requirements as vice-president as stipulated in Indonesia’s constitution,” said Mardani Ali Sera, one of the lawmakers who signed the petition.

Another lawmaker, Ahmad Doli Kurnia, said Mr. Gibran was no longer eligible to serve as vice-president following the courts’ rulings.

“Requesting the matter to be processed by removing the vice-president,” he said.

Under Indonesian law, the House leadership must form a special committee after the petition is submitted to determine whether Mr. Gibran violated the Indonesian Constitution by serving as vice-president despite allegedly failing to meet election requirements. If the allegation is upheld, the House must ask the Constitutional Court to rule on whether Mr. Gibran violated the constitution.

If the court confirms the allegation, the House then proposes impeachment to the Upper House.

COURT RULING
The Supreme Court said in a ruling published on its website late on Tuesday that it was instructing the education ministry to withdraw Mr. Gibran’s education equivalence certificate, which the court had annulled.

Mr. Gibran, who studied abroad, used the certificate to meet education requirements and run in the 2024 election, which he won alongside Mr. Prabowo.

Indonesian election law requires vice-presidential candidates to have completed senior high school or an equivalent level of education, but the court found that the certificate was issued based on evidence that did not prove Jokowi’s eldest son had graduated.

“No evidence was found to show Gibran had a foreign diploma or certificate that could serve as the basis for equivalency with a senior high school or equivalent qualification,” the court said in the ruling.

The Supreme Court also took into account the Constitutional Court’s ruling, which said Mr. Gibran’s education documents did not meet election requirements.

Before the 2024 election, the Constitutional Court issued a decision to change election rules on age requirements, allowing Mr. Gibran to run for vice-president. Jokowi was accused of breaching ethics and interfering in the process.

Sana Jaffrey, a researcher at the Australian National University, said it would be difficult to imagine that lawmakers would move against Mr. Gibran without Mr. Prabowo’s awareness or approval.

“Prabowo’s silence suggests that he wants Gibran’s removal without bearing the potential political cost of openly engineering it, particularly a possible backlash from Jokowi supporters whose backing helped secure his victory,” she said.

Ms. Jaffrey said the crisis showed how the political fortunes of a small number of elites took precedence over the country’s need for effective and stable governance.

“Prolonged uncertainty at the highest levels of power will only deepen anxieties at home and abroad about where the country is headed,” she said. — Reuters