Indonesia’s vice president, Gibran Raka, resigned on Thursday amid a scandal involving his high school diploma, the head of parliament said, increasing pressure on a government already facing broad public discontent over the economy, corruption, and wildfires.
Raka, 39, handed his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto and to parliament, the speaker of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly told reporters.
Calls for Raka’s resignation had been repeated after a Supreme Court ruling last month annulled his high school qualification.
Speaker Ahmad Muzani said Raka met parliamentary leaders on Thursday “to submit his letter of resignation from his position as vice president of the Republic of Indonesia.”
Raka told them he had already given the same letter to Subianto.
Apart from representing the president at official events and taking over if the president becomes incapacitated, Indonesia’s vice president has few powers defined by the constitution.
Raka’s fall comes as thousands have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest economic hardship, corruption, perceived authoritarianism, and the government’s response to months of devastating wildfires whose toxic haze has sickened thousands.
His departure is likely to complicate the loose governing alliance between Subianto and his predecessor, Joko Widodo, Raka’s father, known as Jokowi.
The resignation “marks a significant political realignment but does not necessarily threaten government stability,” according to the Executive Director of the Institute for Security and Strategic Studies think tank, Khairul Fahmi.
“Jokowi will retain political influence, but Gibran’s departure could reduce his network’s direct access to power. For Prabowo, this creates greater room to consolidate his leadership and pursue his own political agenda,” Fahmi told AFP.
Indonesian police detained more than 150 people after protesters clashed with security forces in Yogyakarta city southeast of the capital overnight.
The violence came after demonstrations in several Indonesian cities on Tuesday over how the government has managed the economy, its response to devastating wildfires, and stagnant wages.
Police said in a statement Wednesday that around 100 people gathered near Yogyakarta’s parliament at about 8:00 pm (1300 GMT), aiming firecrackers and throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at the building.
Authorities responded by sending in tactical vehicles to break up the crowd. Police said they seized evidence that included six Molotov cocktails and 12 firecrackers.
