JAKARTA: Indonesia's Vice President, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, resigned on November 12, weeks after the country's top courts found that the documents behind his overseas education did not meet the requirements for standing in the election.
Raka, 39, is the son of former President Joko Widodo. He handed his resignation to the leadership of the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's highest legislative body, at the parliament building in Jakarta and left without speaking to reporters.
His position had been under pressure since the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court ruled last month that his academic papers fell short of election rules. On Wednesday, 120 lawmakers from eight parties filed a petition with House leaders that opened a process which could have led to his impeachment.
Under Indonesian law, House leaders must set up a special committee to weigh whether Raka violated the Constitution by serving despite allegedly failing to meet the eligibility requirements. If lawmakers find enough substance, the House has to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on whether there was a violation.
A vacancy in the vice-presidency does not trigger a fresh election. The office stays empty until the Assembly, within 60 days, picks a replacement from two candidates put forward by the President.
Raka had offered to step down at a meeting with President Prabowo Subianto on Tuesday, November 10, saying he wanted to end a drawn-out political row, but a cabinet minister said the President had urged him to defend himself and it was not clear then whether the offer had been accepted.
(With inputs from PTI and media reports)