Asia·Indonesia
Breaking
Indonesia’s Supreme Court voids Vice President Gibran’s high school equivalency certificate
JAKARTA —
Depth
Dig five layers into this story — from what happened to the full picture.
L1What happened
The Supreme Court granted the cassation appeal on Oct. 30, 2026 and, per the administrative court case-tracking system, fully accepted the lawsuit over Decree 9149/D.D1/KS/2019, issued Aug. 6, 2019. Palal had asked that the certificate be declared null and void, revoked and destroyed. “I received the notice at 2:00 p.m., though I do not yet have an official copy of the decision,” he told Tempo.
L2Who’s affected
Those affected: Gibran Rakabuming Raka, vice president since Oct. 20, 2024 and former mayor of Solo; the Education Ministry, which issued the decree; and plaintiff Subhan Palal.
L3Why it’s quiet
The Supreme Court spokesperson, the education minister and the ministry’s secretary-general did not reply to Tempo, and the full decision has not been published. Analysis · OVERLOOKED Official silence plus a dense legal process kept it off U.S. front pages.
L4Deeper impact
Legal scholar Denny Indrayana told Tempo the ruling aligns with an early-October Constitutional Court decision that found no convincing evidence Gibran holds a qualification equivalent to a high school diploma.
L5Full context
The Constitutional Court said it could not remove Gibran because his candidacy ended when he took office, and that the question belongs to the state bodies authorized to evaluate candidacy requirements. The Supreme Court is due to explain its ruling at a press conference on Monday, Nov. 2 (Kompas).
You’ve reached the bottom. Read the original reporting below.
Original reporting
This is an OVERLOOKED summary of the reporting above. Facts and figures come from the linked sources. Everything here is a fact unless it is labelled otherwise. Support this work.
Alerts Get stories like this in your inbox — a daily roundup, breaking news, or both. Sign up for alerts →