COUNTRY PERSPECTIVE
The shortest useful version of how power works here.
The president and vice-president are directly elected and do not depend on continuing parliamentary confidence.
The president and vice-president are directly elected and do not depend on continuing parliamentary confidence. The president appoints the cabinet and leads the executive.
The House of Representatives makes laws and scrutinises government with the president.
The House of Representatives makes laws and scrutinises government with the president. The Regional Representative Council represents provinces but has more limited legislative authority.
The Constitutional Court reviews statutes and election disputes.
The Constitutional Court reviews statutes and election disputes. Since the democratic transition, substantial responsibilities and budgets have moved to elected provincial and local governments.
Some political words change meaning across countries. These are the distinctions worth knowing first.
Pancasila is the state philosophy built around belief in God, humanitarianism, national unity, deliberative democracy and social justice.
Pancasila is the state philosophy built around belief in God, humanitarianism, national unity, deliberative democracy and social justice. It does not map onto one Western ideology.
Nationalism is shared across much of Indonesian politics.
Nationalism is shared across much of Indonesian politics. Religious pluralism, the role of Islam, decentralisation, welfare and economic development create separate political disagreements.
Enough structure to make the rest of the page intelligible.
Only the events that help explain how today’s system got here.
Independence was proclaimed and the 1945 Constitution established the republic’s foundational framework.
Suharto’s authoritarian government concentrated political power while overseeing major economic and social change.
Suharto’s fall was followed by competitive politics, decentralisation and four rounds of constitutional amendments.
Citizens elected the president directly for the first time.
Current-data work still open: Current office holders · Current legislature, governing coalition and party profiles · Latest national election and turnout · Comparable democracy, religious-freedom and civic-space measures · Long-term indicator trends