Prabowo and Gibran Not Seated Side-by-Side at Plenary Cabinet Session, Palace Explains

JAKARTA – Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has explained that the seating positions of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka at the Plenary Cabinet Session on Monday (20 July 2026) were determined solely by the technical requirements of the meeting. The arrangement related to President Prabowo’s needs in delivering his presentation.

“Because he (President Prabowo) wanted to explain a great many programmes, if you look closely, the sheer number of programmes had to be accompanied and supported by data. That is why yesterday he used an aid in the form of a teleprompter. That answers the question about the layout,” Prasetyo said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Tuesday (21 July 2026).

“If you notice, the President was positioned in the centre. As for the question regarding the Vice President’s position, in our view this is purely a matter of technical necessity,” he added.

According to him, there is nothing else to be concerned about regarding the seating arrangement, including any suggestion about the relationship between the President and Vice President, or the equality of their positions.

“None at all. Absolutely none (the positions of the President and Vice President are not equal). We are currently at our most united, with everyone working hard to achieve the line set by the President, the line of the work programme and national priorities, solely for the interests of the people, the nation and the state,” Prasetyo asserted.

Prasetyo also stated that the Plenary Cabinet Session led by President Prabowo at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday (20 July 2026) was a routine mid-year session, held after the end of the first semester. The previous plenary cabinet session took place on 13 March 2026, roughly four months ago.