120 Indonesian lawmakers seek vice president’s impeachment after education credentials questioned

A group of 120 Indonesian lawmakers has filed a motion to question the vice president's eligibility to continue his role in office, as concerns surrounding his educational qualifications have come to light. The vice president, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is the 39-year-old son of the former President Joko Widodo. He tendered his resignation during a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday to avoid a prolonged political dispute.

Nonetheless, the House of Representatives is persisting with the impeachment process, as it remains uncertain whether Prabowo accepted Raka's resignation. The push for impeachment has grown stronger after the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), of which 110 lawmakers are members, agreed to utilize parliament's constitutional "right to express an opinion" to initiate impeachment proceedings.

This procedure requires a minimum of 25 members of parliament to propose the motion. The controversy intensified last month when the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court declared that Raka's overseas education documents did not satisfy election criteria. If the court validates these claims, the House can subsequently forward an impeachment proposal to the People's Consultative Assembly, Indonesia's top legislative body, for a final verdict.

The petition, presented to the House leadership by 120 lawmakers from eight political parties, contends that Raka no longer fulfills the constitutional criteria to serve as vice president following the recent Constitutional Court and Supreme Court rulings on his eligibility for the 2024 presidential election. The House, presided over by Puan Maharani, a senior PDI-P politician, has scheduled a plenary session for Thursday to officially commence and deliberate the House inquiry proposal concerning Raka's educational background.

Under Indonesian law, House authorities must establish a special committee to assess whether Raka has breached the constitution by serving as vice president, despite failing to meet election requirements. If lawmakers decide there is enough substantiation for the accusation, the House must request the Constitutional Court to rule on whether a constitutional violation has taken place.

This development heightens the political pressure on Raka, occurring amidst a widening rift between Widodo and Prabowo, which has created uncertainty around the vice president's political future. The dispute is not linked to an ongoing probe into allegations that prominent police officials, including the president's chief of staff, Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, were implicated in wiretapping operations targeting the president.

Three other police generals are also under investigation in this matter. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who previously served as national police chief under Widodo, has not been implicated in the wiretapping investigation.