Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Ahmad Muzani said that Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka has submitted his resignation letter.

“The leadership of the People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia received the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia,  Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The meeting lasted around 20 minutes,” Muzani told reporters at the MPR building in Jakarta on Thursday, shortly after the meeting.

He said Gibran had explained that he came to meet the MPR leadership to submit his resignation from the office of Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia.

“He said the same letter has also been submitted to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto,” Muzani said, adding that Gibran has asked the MPR to process it promptly.

“Today, the assembly’s leadership will hold a meeting to follow up on the resignation, so that the MPR can soon convene a joint session attended by the leaders of its parliamentary factions and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) groups to determine the next steps,” the MPR speaker said.

He explained that, under the Constitution, the MPR has up to 60 days from the resignation to appoint a permanent vice president to replace Gibran.

Muzani expressed hope that the democratic process would proceed smoothly and that Gibran’s resignation would become a new precedent in Indonesia’s constitutional practice.

He added that the president must submit two vice-presidential nominees within 14 days of the MPR issuing a request to do so.

Earlier, on Tuesday (Nov. 10), State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi pointed out that Gibran has conveyed his intention to resign from office to President Prabowo.

The development follows controversy over documents relating to Gibran’s overseas education, which was heard by Indonesia’s Constitutional Court.

According to the Constitutional Court’s website, in a statement published on October 6, the court said it has found no convincing evidence that Gibran Rakabuming Raka held an overseas diploma, certificate or degree that could serve as the basis for deeming him to have completed at least senior high school, an Islamic senior high school (madrasah aliyah), a vocational high school, an Islamic vocational high school (madrasah aliyah kejuruan), or an equivalent institution, as required under Article 169(point r) and Article 227(point i) of the Election Law.

Reporting by Indonesia Window