- In full:
- Dyah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri
- Born:
- January 23, 1947, Jakarta, Indonesia (age 79)
- Title / Office:
- president (2001-), Indonesia
- vice president (1999-2001), Indonesia
Megawati Sukarnoputri
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Who is Megawati Sukarnoputri?
Megawati Sukarnoputri, born on January 23, 1947, is an Indonesian politician who served as the fifth president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004. She is the first woman to hold this position.
Megawati is the daughter of Sukarno, Indonesia's first president. She entered politics in 1987 and was elected to the People’s Consultative Assembly. In 1993, she became the head of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). After a series of political events, including her removal as head of the PDI and widespread protests, she formed the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI-P) in 1998.
Megawati faced numerous challenges as president, such as economic issues, separatist movements, and terrorist attacks. Although she signed a cease-fire with Aceh separatists in 2002, fighting soon resumed. Her government also faced corruption charges and criticism for its inability to lower unemployment rates. She was defeated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the 2004 and 2009 presidential elections.
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What position did Megawati Sukarnoputri hold in Indonesia?
Megawati Sukarnoputri was the fifth president of Indonesia, serving from 2001 to 2004, and the first woman to hold that position. Before becoming president, she served as the country's vice president.
Megawati, the daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, entered politics in 1987. By 1993, she had become the head of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). In 1998, after President Suharto resigned, Megawati formed the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI-P). In 1999, PDI-P won 34 percent of the vote in parliamentary elections. Although it was expected that Megawati would be elected president, the People’s Consultative Assembly chose Abdurrahman Wahid. The next day, Megawati was chosen as vice president.
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When did Megawati Sukarnoputri serve as president of Indonesia?
Megawati Sukarnoputri, daughter of Indonesia's first president Sukarno, served as the fifth president of Indonesia from 2001 to 2004, making her the first woman to hold the position. She rose to prominence in Indonesian politics in the 1990s, leading the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). Despite facing political challenges and setbacks, including engineered removal as head of the PDI in 1996, she remained a significant figure. In 1999, Megawati formed the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI-P) and secured a substantial victory in parliamentary elections. Although initially passed over for the presidency, she became vice president before ascending to the presidency in 2001.
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Who was Megawati Sukarnoputri's famous parent, and how did this influence her career?
Megawati Sukarnoputri is the daughter of Sukarno, Indonesia’s first president and a leader of the Indonesian independence movement.
Megawati's lineage significantly influenced her career, paving her way into politics. In 1987, she was elected to the People’s Consultative Assembly and, by 1993, became the head of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI). Her rise posed a threat to President Suharto, who had replaced Sukarno in 1967. After Suharto's resignation in May, Megawati formed the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDI-P) in October 1998. In 2001, she became the fifth president of Indonesia, the first woman to hold the position.
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What challenges did Megawati Sukarnoputri face while she was president?
During her presidency (2001–2004), Megawati Sukarnoputri faced significant challenges, including a failing economy and separatist movements, such as the one in Aceh.
Additional difficulties included:
* Terrorist attacks, such as the 2002 Bali nightclub bombing
* Corruption charges and high unemployment rates
* The resumption of fighting with Aceh separatists, leading to a major military offensive in 20032 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How has Megawati Sukarnoputri influenced Indonesian politics after her presidency?
After her presidency, Megawati Sukarnoputri, the fifth president of Indonesia (2001–04), continued to be a significant figure in Indonesian politics. As the daughter of Sukarno, the first president, she has deep roots in the nation's political history. In 2009, Megawati again ran for president, but was defeated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
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Megawati Sukarnoputri (born January 23, 1947, Jakarta, Indonesia) is an Indonesian politician who was the fifth president of Indonesia (2001–04) and the first woman to hold the post.
The daughter of Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, Megawati studied psychology and agriculture in college but did not take a degree. In 1987 she entered politics and was elected to the People’s Consultative Assembly (national parliament), becoming head of the Indonesian Democratic Party (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia; PDI) in 1993. She grew to be a threat to Indonesian president Suharto (who had replaced Sukarno in 1967), and in June 1996 the government engineered her removal as head of the PDI, thereby disqualifying her from running for president in the 1998 elections. Protests by her supporters in Jakarta in July prompted a government crackdown that spawned the worst riots and fires in the capital city in more than 20 years. Megawati was barred from running in the 1996 parliamentary elections.
In October 1998, after Suharto had resigned from office (May), Megawati and her supporters formed the left-of-center Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan; PDI-P), and in the June 1999 parliamentary elections PDI-P took 34 percent of the vote, the best showing of any party. When Bacharuddin Jusuf (“B.J.”) Habibie, the unpopular interim president who had succeeded Suharto, withdrew, it was widely thought that the People’s Consultative Assembly would elect Megawati president. However, on October 20, the assembly chose Abdurrahman Wahid of the National Awakening Party, unleashing widespread protests by Megawati’s supporters; the next day she was chosen the country’s vice president. Faced with growing criticism of his administration, Wahid in 2000 handed over much of the day-to-day operations to Megawati, but his difficulties continued. On July 23, 2001, the People’s Consultative Assembly removed Wahid from office and named Megawati president, and she was sworn in later that day.
As president, Megawati faced a number of problems, including a failing economy, a separatist movement in the province of Aceh, and terrorist attacks. In October 2002 more than 200 people were killed and some 300 injured when a car bomb exploded outside a Bali nightclub; the attack was attributed to an Islamic militant group. Later that year she oversaw the signing of a cease-fire with Aceh separatists, but the fighting soon resumed, and in 2003 the government launched a major military offensive against the rebels. More bombings followed, including an attack on the Indonesian parliament. Megawati’s government was also beset by charges of corruption and was criticized for its inability to lower the country’s high unemployment rate. Megawati and Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (her former security minister) prevailed in the first round of the 2004 presidential election, but he easily won a subsequent runoff vote and succeeded her in October. In July 2009 Megawati again ran for president, but she once more was defeated by Yudhoyono.