Indonesian lawmakers consider probe into Vice President Gibran's eligibility

Indonesia's parliament reconvened on Tuesday as lawmakers weighed a possible probe into Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's eligibility, amid a widening political rift between his father, former President Joko Widodo, and President Prabowo Subianto.

Some lawmakers are seeking to investigate whether Gibran's incomplete education documents disqualify him from serving as vice president. House Speaker Puan Maharani said many opinions on the issue had been received during a one-month recess, and next steps would be discussed.

Gibran, 39, helped Prabowo win the 2024 election by a huge margin as the son of the popular two-term former president. He has kept a low profile as vice president, and his appearances with Prabowo have been infrequent during their first two years in office.

Tensions between the president and Widodo, known as Jokowi, have grown recently. Jokowi twice defeated Prabowo in the 2014 and 2019 elections before tacitly backing him as his successor.

The dispute over Gibran's qualifications followed rulings last month by the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court that the education documents he submitted did not meet requirements. The issue emerged amid reports that Gibran told President Prabowo he wanted to resign during a closed-door meeting at the State Palace on Tuesday.

Infrastructure Minister Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono said all parties should wait for developments and that information about talks between the president and vice president needed clarification. He added that his Democratic Party continues communicating with other party factions in parliament, though no conclusive result had emerged by Tuesday.