The political framework of Indonesia

Political Outline

Current Political Leaders

President: PRABOWO Subianto Djojohadikusumo (since 20 October 2024)
Vice President: GIBRAN Rakabuming Raka (since 20 October 2024)

Next Election Dates

Presidential: 2029
House of Representatives: April 2029

Main Political Parties

Single parties have little chance of garnering power alone. Thus, parties often work together to form coalition governments. Primary representation in parliament consists of both nationalist secular parties and moderate and Islamic-oriented groups. The major parties are:
Governing Coalition
- Party of Functional Groups (Golkar): follows conservative liberalism, advocates democratic and liberal values
- Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra): conservatism, nationalism, populism
- National Awakening Party (PKB): Islamist, Pancasila ideology, nationalism
- National Mandate Party (PAN): Islamic democracy, Pancasila ideology
- Democratic Party (PD): centrist, Pancasila ideology

Opposition:
- Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P): centre-left, follows Pancasila’ideology based on the five founding principles of the Constitution; a split-away group from the PD
- NasDem Party: centre-left, nationalism
- Prosperous Justice Party (PKS): Islamist, conservative.

Executive Power

The President is both the head of the State and the head of the Government. The President enjoys the executive power and appoints the cabinet. Both the President and the Vice-President are elected through direct universal suffrage for five-year terms. The President is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and responsible for domestic governance and policy-making and foreign affairs.

Legislative Power

The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), made up of the House of People's Representatives (DPR) and the House of Regional Representatives (DPD), is Indonesia's bicameral legislature. The DPD represents regional interests and has 136 members, with four delegates chosen by each province on a non-party basis. In contrast, the DPR, which is the lower house, has 580 members who are elected directly for five-year terms. Although the DPR can overturn this veto with a majority vote, the President has the power to veto laws but cannot dissolve the parliament.