Indonesian Security Minister Resigns to Focus on Vice Presidential Bid

Resignation sparks speculation of further Cabinet departures ahead of contentious three-way election.

Indonesia’s top security minister, Mohammad Mahfud M.D., has resigned from the Cabinet to focus on his vice presidential bid in the upcoming election.
Mahfud is the running mate of former Central Java Gov. Ganjar Pranowo, who has been critical of President Joko Widodo's administration.
Mahfud's resignation has sparked speculation about other potential Cabinet resignations before the election.
The election is a three-way race between Pranowo, former Jakarta Gov. Anies Baswedan and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who is considered the frontrunner and has chosen the president's son as his running mate.
The country’s Constitutional Court made an exception to the minimum age requirement of 40 for vice presidential candidates that allowed Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Widodo’s 36-year-old son to run.