Government and Politics of Indonesia

Government Type

republic

Administrative Divisions

27 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular - propinsi), 2 special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular - daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah khusus ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Riau, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta*; note - with the implementation of decentralization on 1 January 2001, the 357 districts (regencies) have become the key administrative units responsible for providing most government services

Legal System

based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures and election codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Indonesia dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 continuous years

Executive Branch

chief of state: President PRABOWO Subianto (since 20 October 2024) and Vice President GIBRAN Rakabuming Raka (since 20 October 2024); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President PRABOWO Subianto (since 20 October 2024) and Vice President GIBRAN Rakabuming Raka (since 20 October 2024); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president and vice president elected for five-year terms by direct vote of the citizenry; last held on 14 February 2024 (next to be held in 2029) election results: PRABOWO Subianto elected president in the first round, receiving approximately 58.6% of the vote; ANIES Baswedan received approximately 24.9%; GANJAR Pranowo received approximately 16.5%

Legislative Branch

Bicameral legislature consisting of the House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR) and the House of Regional Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), both of which together form the People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR). The DPR currently holds 580 seats, with members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. The DPR is the primary legislative body responsible for passing national legislation, approving the state budget, and overseeing the executive branch. The DPD provides legislative input to the DPR on matters directly affecting Indonesia's regions and provinces, and its role is constitutionally mandated. The MPR, composed of all sitting members of the DPR and DPD, is responsible for inaugurating and impeaching the president and for amending the constitution. The MPR does not independently formulate national policy. Elections for the DPR are held every five years. The most recent legislative elections were held on 14 February 2024. The Golkar Party, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), and Gerindra were among the leading parties. PDI-P received the largest share of the vote at approximately 16.7%, followed by Golkar at approximately 15.3% and Gerindra at approximately 13.2%. Other significant parties include the National Awakening Party (PKB), the National Democrat Party (NasDem), the Democrat Party (PD), the National Mandate Party (PAN), and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), among others. Note: Due to Indonesia's electoral threshold rules and proportional representation system, the distribution of seats does not always directly correspond to the percentage of votes received by each party.

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung (justices appointed by the president from a list of candidates approved by the legislature); a separate Constitutional Court or Mahkamah Konstitusi was invested by the president on 16 August 2003; in March 2004 the Supreme Court assumed administrative and financial responsibility for the lower court system from the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Labor Court under supervision of Supreme Court began functioning in January 2006

Political Parties

Crescent Moon and Star Party or PBB [Yusril Ihza MAHENDRA, chairman]; Democratic Party or PD [Subur BUDHISANTOSO, chairman]; Functional Groups Party or Golkar [Yusuf KALLA, chairman]; Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI Sukarnoputri, chairperson]; National Awakening Party or PKB [Alwi SHIHAB, chairman]; National Mandate Party or PAN [Sutrisno BACHIR, chairman]; Prosperous Justice Party or PKS [Tifatul SEMBIRING, chairman]; United Development Party or PPP [Hamzah HAZ, chairman]

Head of State

President PRABOWO Subianto and Vice President GIBRAN Rakabuming Raka

Head of Government

President PRABOWO Subianto and Vice President GIBRAN Rakabuming Raka

Cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president

Constitution

August 1945, abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959

Independence

17 August 1945 (proclaimed independence; on 27 December 1949, Indonesia became legally independent from the Netherlands)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 17 August (1945)

International Organization Participation

APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, FAO, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOMIG, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

chief of mission: Ambassador SUDJADNAN Parnohadiningrat chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 775-5200 FAX: [1] (202) 775-5365 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

chief of mission: Ambassador B. Lynn PASCOE embassy: Jalan 1 Medan Merdeka Selatan 4-5, Jakarta 10110 mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520 telephone: [62] (21) 3435-9000 FAX: [62] (21) 3435-9922 consulate(s) general: Surabaya

Capital City

Jakarta; note - Indonesian lawmakers on 18 January 2022 approved the relocation of the country’s capital from Jakarta to a site on the island of Borneo between Samarinda City and the port city of Balikpapan; Nusantara ("archipelago"), the name of the new capital, is expected to be established in August 2024

Location

6 10 S, 106 49 E

Time Difference

UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) note: Indonesia has three time zones

History

"Jakarta" derives from the Sanscrit "Jayakarta" meaning "victorious city" and refers to a successful defeat and expulsion of the Portuguese in 1527; previously the port had been named "Sunda Kelapa"

U.S. Embassy Jakarta is located at Medan Merdeka Selatan 5, Jakarta 10110; telephone: (62)(21) 3435-9000; fax (62)(21) 385-7189. The most secure international mail address is: U.S. Embassy Jakarta, DPO, AP 96520 USA. The consular section of the Embassy can be reached by e-mail. Instructions on how to receive SMS emergency messages on your cell phone can be found on the Embassy's FAQ page. U.S. Consulate General in Surabaya is at Jl. Citra Raya Niaga No. 2, Surabaya 60217; telephone: (62) (31) 297-5300; fax (62) (31) 567-4492, after-hours duty officer (62) (811) 334-183. The consulate can also be reached by e-mail. The consulate should be the first point of contact for assistance to U.S. citizens who are present or residing in the Indonesian provinces of East Java, Nusa Tenggara Timor, Nusa Tenggara Barat, all of Sulawesi and North and South Maluku. There is a Consular Agency in Bali at Jalan Hayam Wuruk 310, Denpasar, Bali; telephone: (62) (361) 233-605; fax (62) (361) 222-426; or BaliConsularAgency@state.gov. The U.S. Consulate in Surabaya is an alternate contact for U.S. citizens in Bali. The American Presence Post in Medan, North Sumatra, provides only emergency assistance to U.S. citizens and does not offer routine consular services. U.S. citizens needing emergency consular assistance in Sumatra should call (62) (61) 451-9000.

Military Branches

Indonesian Armed Forces (Tentara Nasional Indonesia, TNI): Army (TNI-Angkatan Darat (TNI-AD)), Navy (TNI-Angkatan Laut (TNI-AL); includes marines (Korps Marinir, KorMar), naval air arm), Air Force (TNI-Angkatan Udara (TNI-AU)), National Air Defense Command (Kommando Pertahanan Udara Nasional (Kohanudnas))

Service Age and Obligation

18-45 years of age for voluntary military service, with selective conscription authorized; 2-year service obligation, with reserve obligation to age 45 (officers); Indonesian citizens only