Vice President of Indonesia

The vice president of the Republic of Indonesia is second-highest officer in the executive branch of the Indonesian government, after the president, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. Since 2004, the president and vice president are directly elected to a five-year term. Ma'ruf Amin is the 13th and current vice president of Indonesia. He assumed office on 20 October 2019. History of the office The Indonesian vice presidency was established during the formulation of the 1945 Constitution by the Investigating Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPK). The office was first filled on 18 August 1945 when Mohammad Hatta was elected by acclamation. The election was conducted by the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence (PPKI) because the body responsible for the vice presidential elections, the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), had not been formed yet. On 16 October 1945, Hatta announced a vice presidential decree which gave the Central Indonesian National Committee (KNIP) equal status with that of the president. As a result of this decree, the KNIP was able to separate the role of head of state and head of government on 11 November 1945. Although a new constitution had not been set up yet, Indonesia was now a de facto parliamentary democracy. During the Indonesian National Revolution, both Hatta and Sukarno were captured by the Dutch in Yogyakarta on 18 December 1948. Together with Sukarno, Hatta gave Syafruddin Prawiranegara a mandate to form an emergency government. This was done and the Emergency Government of the Republic of Indonesia (PDRI) was formed in Sumatra with Prawiranegara as chairman. Prawiranegara handed back his mandate to Sukarno and consequently, to Hatta on 13 July 1949.