| Indonesian nationalist forces declared the independent state of Indonesia on 17 August 1945. The nationalist revolutionaries introduced the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia which set up a bicameral presidential system. A war of Independence spanning over three years was then fought against Dutch occupying forces. This ended with roundtable negotiations for a new federal constitutional arrangement more favourable to residual colonial interests. However the 1945 Constitution was eventually reinstated. Since the fall of President Suharto in 1998, the Indonesian government has undergone many changes.
Between 1999 and 2002 the 1945 Constitution was amended, reducing the political role of the President and strengthening the lawmaking powers of the People's Representative Council and the People’s Consultative Assembly. The President is now directly elected by the people for a term of five years and may serve no more than two consecutive terms. From 1999 to 2004 a series of laws was passed implementing ‘regional autonomy’. Citizens directly elect representatives at the provincial level. The 33 provinces each have their own regional government with considerable power to make and implement laws relating to natural resource management, planning and more. |
