Throughout Indonesian history, the title of First Lady ( id, Ibu Negara) or, in an instance, First Gentleman ( id, Bapak Negara) has been used to refer to the wife or husband of the

president of Indonesia The President of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Presiden Republik Indonesia) is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Indonesia. The president leads the executive branch of the Indonesian government and i ...

. While the Constitution of Indonesia does not mention anything about the spouses of the president, it continues to hold significant influence in the Indonesian society. The current holder of the title is

Iriana Joko Widodo Iriana (also called Iriana Jokowi, born 1 October 1963) is the First Lady of Indonesia since 20 October 2014 and the wife of the current President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo. Early career Iriana graduated from State High School No. 3, Solo in ...

, wife of current president Joko Widodo. Taufiq Kiemas, husband of President Megawati Sukarnoputri, to date is the only first gentleman.

History

It is unclear when the role of ''Ibu Negara'' first developed in the Indonesian constitutional conventions. Sukarno, the first president, was married to his third wife

Fatmawati Fatmawati (5 February 1923 – 14 May 1980) is a National Hero of Indonesia ( id, Pahlawan Nasional Indonesia). As the inaugural First Lady of Indonesia, she was the third wife of the first president of Indonesia, Sukarno, and the mother of Indon ...

when he became president in August 1945. Sukarno then married Hartini in July 1953 on Fatmawati's permission. Hartini lived in

Istana Bogor The Bogor Palace (; ) is one of six presidential palaces of Indonesia, it is located in the city of Bogor, West Java. The palace is noted for its distinctive architectural and historical features, as well as the adjoining botanical gardens. Istan ...

and also accompanied the president to official state duties and visit abroad.Sitompul, Martin
''Hartini, First Lady yang Tak Diakui'' ("Hartini, the Unrecognized First Lady")
''Historia.id'', 20 April 2018. Accessed 1 June 2019. Throughout his presidency, Sukarno married another five women, but Fatmawati remained the first lady.

Siti Hartinah Raden Ayu Siti Hartinah (23 August 1923 – 28 April 1996), also known as Siti Hartinah Soeharto or Tien Soeharto, was the First Lady of Indonesia from 1967 until 1996. She was the wife of second Indonesian president, Suharto. Known as Ibu T ...

, Soeharto's wife, occupied the role of ''Ibu Negara'' until her death in April 1996. Her eldest daughter,

Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana (born 23 January 1949), known as Tutut Suharto, is an Indonesian politician who is the eldest daughter of former Indonesian president Suharto and the wife of Global Mediacom (then known as Bimantara Citra) co-founder and f ...

("Tutut") acted on behalf of her mother throughout the remainder of her father's presidency until 1998. From March to May 1998, she also served as the minister of social affairs.

History

List of title holders

References

See also