Indonesia's Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka submitted his resignation to parliament on Thursday, ending days of speculation about his political future. His father, former President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, expressed support for current President Prabowo Subianto, signalling an effort to ease tensions within the country's ruling alliance.

"We will continue to support President Prabowo's administration, especially programmes that serve the interests of the broader public," Jokowi told reporters outside his home in Solo, Central Java.

Gibran's resignation marks Indonesia's most high-profile political departure since President Suharto stepped down in 1998. His exit comes amid growing tensions between Prabowo and Jokowi, who had twice defeated the former general in presidential elections before backing him after reaching his constitutional term limit.

The political uncertainty has deepened challenges for Prabowo's government, which is dealing with controversies surrounding its flagship programmes and concerns over its ability to manage Southeast Asia's largest economy. Investor confidence has also weakened amid uncertainty over fiscal plans and the government's broader policy direction. The rupiah fell around 0.6% to a record low of 18,255 against the US dollar, while concerns over a possible stock market downgrade persisted.

Minutes before Jokowi's statement, Gibran arrived at parliament in Jakarta and met its leaders for around 20 minutes. Upper House Speaker Ahmad Muzani said Gibran submitted his resignation letter and requested parliament to process it.

Reading the letter, Muzani said Gibran had made the decision "through my own volition ... for the interests of the government and nation." Senior Law Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said Gibran cited personal reasons and "growing public sentiment" in the five-paragraph letter. Gibran had also sent his resignation to Prabowo.

The 39-year-old was elected vice president alongside Prabowo in 2024. However, Jokowi faced allegations of influencing a court ruling that changed election eligibility rules and allowed his son to contest the election.

Gibran's resignation followed calls from lawmakers for his impeachment over questions about his educational qualifications. The Constitutional Court and Supreme Court had ruled that his overseas high school qualifications did not meet the legal requirements for vice presidential candidates. They also found that election authorities had wrongly accepted them.

Parliamentary leaders will discuss the next steps, Muzani said. The upper house must formally declare the vice-presidential post vacant and ask Prabowo to submit two replacement candidates. An election will follow within 60 days.

Meanwhile, tensions between Prabowo and Jokowi have also surfaced over an investigation into alleged illegal wiretapping by senior police officials, including former police chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, considered a Jokowi loyalist.

Police said on Thursday they had sufficient initial evidence to pursue treason charges against four suspects accused of wiretapping Prabowo, politicians, activists and journalists. Lawmakers urged police chief Suyudi Ario Seto to identify who allegedly directed Listyo to conduct the surveillance and investigate the political interests behind it.