Indonesia`s heads of state: a chronology

Jakarta - Indonesia, the world`s fourth most populous nation, has had six presidents since the former Dutch colony became independent in 1945. Here is a list of them:

- August 17, 1945: Sukarno and Muhammad Hatta proclaim Indonesia`s independence from the Dutch colonial administration. Sukarno is named the country`s first president.

- March 11, 1966: Lieutenant General Suharto, who led efforts to counter a coup attempt in September the previous year that was later blamed on the Indonesian Communist Party, forces Sukarno to hand him full power to restore order, literally taking the reins of power from him but not being named president yet.

- March 21, 1968: Suharto is elected president by the country`s highest legislative organ, the People`s Consultative Assembly, mostly appointed delegates, after serving one year as acting president.

- March 21, 1998: Suharto resigns from the presidency amid mounting unrest and dwindling support from the military and civilians. He appoints his vice-president, Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie, as acting president.

- October 20, 1999: Habibie hands over his presidency to the People`s Consultative Assembly after it rejects his accountability speech. He had presided over the 1999 legislative elections, the first free elections since 1955. The assembly elects Abdurrahman Wahid as the country`s third president.

- July 23, 2001: The People`s Consultative Assembly convenes a special session and unanimously votes to impeach Wahid and replace him with his vice-president, Megawati Sukarnoputri. The session is convened following mounting hostilities between the president and the legislature as well as the military.

- October 20, 2004: Retired general Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Megawati`s top politics and security minister, is sworn in as the country`s fifth president after winning a resounding victory in Indonesia`s first ever direct presidential elections in September that year.

Source: www.smh.com.au (28 Januari 2008)
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