Suharto was an Indonesian military officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving President of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto led Indonesia as an authoritarian regime from the fall of his predecessor Sukarno in 1967 until his resignation in 1998 following nationwide unrest. His 31-year dictatorship is considered one of the most brutal and corrupt of the 20th century, as he was central to the perpetration of mass killings against alleged communists, ethnic Chinese, irreligious people and trade unionists.

The president of the Republic of Indonesia is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president leads the executive branch of the Indonesian government and is the commander-in-chief of Indonesian National Armed Forces and Indonesian National Police. Since 2004, the president and vice president are directly elected to a five-year term, once renewable, allowing for a maximum of 10 years in office. The current President of the Republic of Indonesia is Joko Widodo.