Biography CompassLives that shaped the world
Search
Explore Biography CompassBrowse biographies by field and collection.

Political collection · Indonesia

1945–present · Thirteen biographies · Fourteen numbered terms

Indonesian Vice Presidents: Biographies and Timeline

Thirteen source-led biographies cover every person to hold Indonesia’s vice presidency, connecting the office’s revolutionary origins, long vacancy, New Order, Reformasi successions and direct-election tickets.

The office changed with Indonesia’s constitutional system

Indonesia’s vice president is the constitutional successor to the president, but the office has also served as a centre for economic coordination, mediation, religious representation and coalition balance. This complete collection covers all thirteen people who have held the office and all fourteen officially numbered terms, including Jusuf Kalla’s two nonconsecutive administrations.

  1. 01

    Hatta helped define the founding office

    The first vice president was also a proclaimer of independence, economic thinker and central figure in the revolutionary republic.

  2. 02

    The office was vacant for almost seventeen years

    Hatta resigned in 1956 and Hamengkubuwono IX did not take office until 1973, showing that constitutional importance did not always produce continuous occupancy.

  3. 03

    Succession elevated two vice presidents

    B. J. Habibie became president after Suharto resigned in 1998, while Megawati succeeded Abdurrahman Wahid in 2001.

  4. 04

    Direct elections created joint national tickets

    Since 2004, voters have elected the president and vice president together rather than leaving selection to the People’s Consultative Assembly.

  5. 05

    Coalition balance shapes the nomination

    Regional roots, party support, religious authority, economic expertise and generational appeal have all influenced running-mate choices.

  6. 06

    One person served two nonconsecutive terms

    Jusuf Kalla served with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and later Joko Widodo, making him both the tenth and twelfth vice president.

Thirteen biographies · Fourteen numbered vice-presidential terms

Meet every vice president of Indonesia in chronological order

Official 1973 portrait of Indonesian vice president Hamengkubuwono IXIndonesia · Politics

1912—1988

Hamengkubuwono IX

Ninth Sultan of Yogyakarta and second Vice President of IndonesiaThe Javanese monarch who placed Yogyakarta behind the new republic, held senior national offices and became Indonesia’s second vice president after a long vacancy.Read biography
Official portrait of Indonesian vice president Adam MalikIndonesia · Politics

1917—1984

Adam Malik

Diplomat, journalist and third Vice President of IndonesiaA news-agency founder, independence activist and diplomat who moved from revolutionary politics to ASEAN, the United Nations and the vice presidency.Read biography
Official portrait of Indonesian vice president SudharmonoIndonesia · Politics

1927—2006

Sudharmono

Military lawyer, state secretary and fifth Vice President of IndonesiaThe military lawyer and long-serving state secretary who chaired Golkar and became Indonesia’s fifth vice president.Read biography
Official portrait of Indonesian vice president Try SutrisnoIndonesia · Politics

1935—2026

Try Sutrisno

Army general, armed forces commander and sixth Vice President of IndonesiaThe soldier, Jakarta governor and national military commander who became Indonesia’s sixth vice president during Suharto’s final full term.Read biography
Official portrait of Indonesian president B. J. HabibieIndonesia · Politics

1936—2019

B. J. Habibie

Third President of Indonesia and aerospace engineerThe aerospace engineer and technology minister who succeeded Suharto in 1998 and opened Indonesia’s first transition from New Order rule.Read biography
Official portrait of Indonesian vice president Hamzah HazIndonesia · Politics

1940—2024

Hamzah Haz

Islamic party leader and ninth Vice President of IndonesiaThe West Kalimantan teacher, journalist and long-serving PPP politician who became Indonesia’s ninth vice president during the Reformasi transition.Read biography
Official portrait of Indonesian vice president BoedionoIndonesia · Politics

1943—

Boediono

11th Vice President of Indonesia and economistThe economist and policy technocrat who served as finance minister, coordinating economic minister, Bank Indonesia governor and vice president.Read biography

Continue the story

Place the vice presidency beside presidents and elections

Follow constitutional succession, direct-election coalitions and the democratic transition that changed how both offices receive authority.

Complete Vice-President List and TimelineCompare all fourteen numbered terms, presidents served, vacancies and selection methods in one table.Indonesian PresidentsRead the complete presidential sequence from Sukarno to Prabowo Subianto.Presidential Elections, 2004–2024Compare every directly elected ticket, official total and result dispute.Reformasi and Democratic TransitionSee how constitutional reform changed succession, term limits and electoral authority.The 2009 Presidential ElectionBoediono joins Yudhoyono’s first-round reelection ticket.The 2019 Presidential ElectionMa’ruf Amin and Sandiaga Uno enter a Jokowi–Prabowo rematch.The 2024 Presidential ElectionGibran wins the vice presidency after a disputed eligibility ruling.

Quick answers

Indonesian vice presidents: quick answers

Who was the first vice president of Indonesia?
Mohammad Hatta became the first vice president on 18 August 1945, one day after he and Sukarno proclaimed independence.
Who is the current vice president of Indonesia?
As reviewed on 3 October 2026, Gibran Rakabuming Raka is Indonesia’s vice president. He was inaugurated with President Prabowo Subianto on 20 October 2024.
How is Indonesia’s vice president chosen?
The method changed over time. Early office-holders were appointed or selected through constitutional institutions; since 2004, voters elect the president and vice president together on one ticket.
How many people have served as vice president of Indonesia?
Thirteen people have held the office across fourteen numbered vice-presidential terms. The numbers differ because Jusuf Kalla served twice, as the tenth and twelfth vice president.
Which Indonesian vice presidents later became president?
B. J. Habibie succeeded Suharto in 1998, and Megawati Sukarnoputri succeeded Abdurrahman Wahid in 2001.
Has anyone served twice as Indonesian vice president?
Yes. Jusuf Kalla served from 2004 to 2009 with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and from 2014 to 2019 with Joko Widodo.

Primary and institutional sources

How the collection was checked

Regional comparisons are checked against official archives, legislation and institutional histories. Individual biographies contain person-level citations.

  1. Secretariat of the Vice President of IndonesiaVice presidents of Indonesia from 1945 to the present
  2. People’s Consultative Assembly of IndonesiaThe 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia
  3. General Elections Commission of IndonesiaIndonesia’s 2009 election in figures
  4. General Elections Commission of IndonesiaPemilu 2019: official result and certification
  5. General Elections Commission of IndonesiaKPU Decision No. 360 of 2024 — national election results
  6. Kraton YogyakartaSri Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX
  7. Ministry of State Secretariat of IndonesiaOfficial profile and obituary of Hamzah Haz
  8. Ministry of State Secretariat of IndonesiaState condolences after Try Sutrisno’s death