Gerindra Dismisses Speculation Over Prabowo-Gibran Seating Arrangement at Cabinet Meeting

The Gerindra Party has stated that President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka complement each other in their work, urging the public not to dramatise their relationship. The statement was made by Gerindra Central Executive Board Chairman Bambang Haryadi in response to the seating arrangement during a plenary cabinet session on Monday, 20 July 2026, where Gibran was not seated next to the president.

Bambang explained that the arrangement was purely a technical necessity and that the relationship between the two leaders remains excellent. “Pak President Prabowo and Mas Wapres Gibran complement each other in their work. The two are always united,” he said in a statement on Wednesday, 22 July 2026. He added that Prabowo has consistently given Gibran room to work, citing the Vice President’s frequent tours of the regions to absorb public aspirations as an example.

“Mas Gibran travels around the regions to check whether government programmes are running as they should or need improvement, and to absorb the aspirations of the people, representing the President. That is a real form of unity between the President and the Vice President,” Bambang stated. He therefore asked the public not to speculate about the relationship between Prabowo and Gibran, asserting that the two complement each other in running the government. “So do not dramatise it. The President and Vice President work to complement each other. There are parties who want to divide their unity by framing provocative narratives. But we are confident the public will not be influenced,” he concluded.

The plenary cabinet session was held by Prabowo at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday, 20 July 2026, and was attended by ministers, deputy ministers, agency heads, and special advisors or envoys to the president. During the session, Prabowo’s desk was placed in the centre facing all cabinet members, who were seated in a U-shaped formation. The seating arrangement drew attention because Gibran was not seated beside Prabowo but rather among the ranks of the ministers, contrasting with previous cabinet sessions where Gibran’s position was level with the president.