Indonesian VP offers resignation over degree dispute

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka offered to resign from his position on Tuesday following a lengthy discussion with President Prabowo Subianto.

The two leaders spent more than two hours in conversation at the presidential palace, according to State Secretariat Minister Prasetyo Hadi. Hadi told reporters that it was not immediately clear if Prabowo had accepted the offer. The president advised Raka to keep using legal channels to prove the validity of his academic documents.

The move responds to a Supreme Court decision from last month. The court ruled that the overseas education documents Raka submitted did not meet the legal requirements for election eligibility. This ruling has increased pressure on the vice president and led some lawmakers to call for his impeachment.

Raka, 39 and the son of former President Joko Widodo, left his office later in the day. He did not directly address the resignation offer in a brief statement to reporters. He said he respected public criticism and wanted to prevent the situation from becoming a long lasting political controversy.

The dispute is distinct from a separate investigation into wiretapping allegations. That probe involves top police officials, including Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo, who serves as the president's chief of staff. Listyo previously led the national police under Widodo. Three other police generals are also implicated in the wiretap case, while Widodo himself is not.

The current turmoil marks a widening political rift between Prabowo and Widodo. Widodo had supported Prabowo's presidential bid after Prabowo selected Raka as his running mate. Widodo faces his own unrelated allegations that he used a fake university diploma, which he denies.