Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – The Presidential Palace has confirmed that Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka will attend the 80th Indonesian Independence Day ceremony at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. Deputy State Secretary Juri Ardiantoro reiterated that Gibran will be present in Jakarta for the ceremony.
Meanwhile, a separate ceremony will still take place at the Nusantara Capital City (IKN), led by the head of the IKN Authority.
"The ceremony at IKN will be led by the authority's head. Vice President Gibran will attend the one in Jakarta," Juri said when met at the Presidential Palace on Friday, August 1, 2025.
Juri previously explained that the ceremony would not be held at IKN due to the area's incomplete infrastructure, which is not yet ready to host a state-level event.
"IKN is still under development. We are prioritizing construction there," Juri said at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Thursday, July 17, 2025.
Juri, who formerly served as Deputy Chair of the National Campaign Team for the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka ticket, noted that state ceremonies are not limited to Jakarta.
The IKN Authority will also organize a commemoration of Independence Day at the Garuda Palace in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan. However, he could not confirm whether Vice President Gibran would attend the event at IKN.
Earlier, Vice President Gibran explained that President Prabowo Subianto had decided to centralize the 80th Independence Day ceremony at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta. He stated that the event would not be moved to IKN as the area remains under construction.
"We are following the President's instructions, and besides, IKN is still in the development stage," Gibran said in Boyolali, Central Java, on Friday, July 18, 2025, as quoted from a video released by the Vice President's Press, Media, and Information Bureau (BPMI).
Before taking office, President Prabowo had indicated plans to return the Independence Day ceremony to IKN. He made this statement during last year's celebration alongside President Joko Widodo at the State Palace in IKN.
"God willing, it will be held here again," he said on Saturday, August 17, 2024.
– Hendrik Yaputra contributed to the writing of this article.