Vice President of Indonesia resigns out of doubts about qualifications

O vice President of Indonesia, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, resigned today in the context of growing doubts about eligibility for office, after recent court decisions challenged his academic credentials.

Raka, 39 years old and son of former President Joko Widodo, presented his resignation to the People's Consultative Assembly, the supreme legislative body of the country, which brings together the members of the two chambers of the Indonesian Parliament

The leader did not comment on leaving the meeting.

According to the Constitution of Indonesia, resignation does not trigger further elections. The seat shall remain vacant until Parliament elects a replacement from two names indicated by the President within 60 days.

Raka had offered to resign on Tuesday, during a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto, saying he wanted to avoid a prolonged political controversy, but the head of state urged him to defend himself, according to an Indonesian minister.

In October, the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court decided that the documents submitted by Raka, concerning their academic training abroad, did not meet the electoral requirements.

This Wednesday, 120 parliamentarians from eight political parties submitted a request to the leadership of the Parliament's upper chamber, initiating a process that could have led to Raka's dismissal.

The resignation of the Vice President comes at a time when Indonesia is experiencing a crisis created by an investigation of allegations that senior police officials have been involved in telephone intercepts targeting Subianto.

On November 4, Indonesian police announced the arrest of three generals on suspicion of illegal wiretapping by the President, including the chief of staff of the presidency, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo and the generals of the police Ahrie Sonta Nasution and Eko Hadi Santoso.

Also today, the Indonesian police chief told Members that members of the government, politicians, journalists, civil society leaders and business executives were also subject to unauthorized surveillance.

General Suyudi Ario Seto claimed that targets included presidential palace officials, ministries, state institutions, parliamentarians, political party figures, governors, anti-corruption officials, activists, and students.

“ The fact that someone is on the list of surveillance targets does not mean that that person is suspected of any irregularity,” Seto told Parliament’s committee to oversee Security Affairs and Law Enforcement.

The government ordered the dispatch of 20,000 soldiers to Jakarta as a precautionary measure, but there are no signs of a large military presence on the streets of the capital, with most of the military remaining in readiness in the barracks.