Jokowi and JK Attend, Megawati Absent from MPR Annual Session

The 5th President of Indonesia and Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Megawati Soekarnoputri, was unable to attend the MPR Annual Session and the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday (14/8/2026).

Her absence was confirmed directly by PDIP Central Executive Board Chairman Djarot Saiful Hidayat at the venue. ‘Ibu Mega is not here; she has an engagement today that cannot be postponed,’ Djarot told reporters at the Parliament Complex on Friday.

In addition to missing the MPR Annual Session, Djarot could not yet confirm whether Megawati would attend the Proclamation Day ceremony for the 81st Anniversary of Indonesian Independence at the Merdeka Palace on Monday, 17 August. According to Djarot, Megawati typically leads a flag ceremony with party cadres at the PDIP Party School in Lenteng Agung. ‘For the 17th, Ibu Mega usually holds a ceremony at the Party School. We will check later, but on the 17th, Ibu Mega usually leads the flag ceremony there,’ he said.

Despite Megawati’s absence, a number of national figures and leaders from previous administrations filled the main hall of the MPR Annual Session. Among those present were the 7th President Joko Widodo, the 10th and 12th Vice President Jusuf Kalla, and the 11th Vice President Boediono. The ranks of the Merah Putih Cabinet ministers and heads of state institutions were also in full attendance.

The main agenda of the 2026 MPR Annual Session and the Joint Session of the DPR and DPD focused on President Prabowo Subianto’s state address, which included the delivery of the performance reports of state institutions and the commemoration of the 81st Anniversary of Indonesian Independence, carrying the theme ‘A Sovereign, Just, and Prosperous Indonesia’.