List of Longest-Serving Party Leaders Amid Proposals for Term Limits

Recent Indonesian political news has been dominated by reports on recommendations to limit the tenure of party leaders (parpol). This stems from the KPK’s 2025 Monitoring Directorate report, which suggests improvements to party governance, including restricting general chair terms to just two periods. The proposal is one of 16 KPK recommendations on party governance, covering cadre development, political education, candidate nomination, financial reporting, and leadership regeneration. “To ensure cadre development proceeds effectively, regulations should limit party general chair leadership to a maximum of two terms,” the report states. Indikator Politik Indonesia Executive Director Burhanuddin Muhtadi agrees that most Indonesian parties currently face leadership succession issues. The UIN Jakarta Professor of Political Science notes that among major parties, only Golkar and PKS have undergone leadership transitions so far. “Beyond that, I believe there’s a stagnation in internal party democratisation. Even PKS and Golkar’s selection processes have seen a decline in quality,” Burhanuddin said on Thursday (23/4). Nevertheless, current laws do not restrict party general chair terms. Leadership succession remains entirely an internal matter. Therefore, most DPR parties reject the KPK proposal, including PDIP, PKB, Demokrat, PAN, and Nasdem. PKS and Golkar support it, while Gerindra has yet to comment. So, what are the longest-serving general chairs of DPR parties to date? Here is the list: Megawati Soekarnoputri (33 years) Megawati has served as PDIP general chair for 33 years, including when it was still called PDI in 1993, when she was first elected. As a symbol of resistance against the New Order (Orba) still held by Indonesia’s second president Soeharto, Megawati has essentially been irreplaceable. From 1996-1999, during the Kudatuli incident [27 July Riot] involving an attack on PDI headquarters at Jalan Diponegoro 58, there was dualism with PDI leadership under Soerjadi, supported by the Orba regime. Meanwhile, Mega still had support from cadres and grassroots. To date, Megawati has been elected by acclamation in six party congresses: 1993 when still PDI, then Congress I Semarang (2000), Congress II Bali (2005), Congress III (2010), Congress IV Bali (2015), Congress V Bali (2019), and Congress VI Bali (2025). With that tenure, Megawati is recorded as the longest-serving party general chair. Muhaimin Iskandar (21 years) PKB General Chair Muhaimin Iskandar, alias Cak Imin, has held the position for 21 years since 25 May 2005. Cak Imin was elected in four muktamars: Mukamar III 2005 (replacing Dimyati Qanun), followed by IV 2010, V 2015, and VI 2024. In 2007-2008, Cak Imin was involved in a dispute with Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) via the Extraordinary Mukamar (MLB) in Ancol, where Gus Dur then chaired PKB’s Shura Council. However, he refused to step down and maintained his position by removing Yenny Wahid (Gus Dur’s daughter) from PKB Secretary General and ousting Gus Dur from Shura Council Chair with KH Aziz Mansyur. The Supreme Court (MA) then recognised Cak Imin’s faction for PKB leadership. Surya Paloh (15 years) Surya Paloh has been Nasdem Party general chair since its founding in 2011 to the present. He was elected by acclamation in three congresses, held two years after the party’s establishment: 2013, 2018, and 2023. Recently, Nasdem has been plagued by merger rumours with Gerindra Party after several key figures moved to PSI, led by President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) son, Kaesang Pangarep. Kaesang is the youngest sibling of Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Prabowo Subianto (12 years) Current President Prabowo Subianto is closely tied to Gerindra’s leadership seat. He is currently General Chair cum Patronage Council Chair of Gerindra Party. However, Prabowo is not Gerindra’s first general chair since the party was founded ahead of the 2009 elections in 2008. Gerindra’s birth, also inseparable from Prabowo and his brother Hashim Djojohadikusumo, was led by former UGM Faculty of Forestry Dean Suhardi. Suhardi passed away in August 2014, and shortly after, Prabowo became the party’s general chair to date. Prabowo was elected by acclamation in four congresses: Congress I 2014, II 2015, III 2020, and KLB 2025 (2025-2030 period). In 2025, the Hambalang KLB reaffirmed Prabowo after his 2024 presidential election victory. Yusril Ihza Mahendra (16 years) Beyond those four names, there is former PBB General Chair Yusril Ihza Mahendra. Yusril was the longest-serving after Cak Imin, for 16 years since the party’s founding in 1998. Yusril then resigned on 18 May 2024. This decision was announced at the Party Council Deliberation (MDP) session in Jakarta, citing the need for regeneration.