Megawati Sukarnoputri

Diah Permata Megawati Setiawati Sukarnoputri, usually shortened to Megawati Sukarnoputri ( pronunciation  born 23 January 1947), generally known as Megawati, is an Indonesian politician who served as president of Indonesia from 23 July 2001 to 20 October 2004.

Megawati is the leader of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), one of Indonesia's largest political parties. She is the daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno.

Megawati has been Indonesia's only female president and the fourth woman to lead a predominantly Muslim nation. She is also the first Indonesian leader to be born after Indonesia proclaimed independence. After serving as vice-president to Abdurrahman Wahid, Megawati became president when Wahid was removed from office in 2001. She ran for re-election in the 2004 presidential election, but was defeated by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. She sought a rematch in the 2009 presidential election, losing again to Yudhoyono.

Early life

Megawati was born in Yogyakarta to Soekarno, who had declared Indonesia's independence from the Netherlands in 1945 and Fatmawati, one of his nine wives. Megawati was Soekarno's second child and first daughter. She grew up in her father's Merdeka Palace. She danced for her father's guests and developed a gardening hobby. Megawati was 19 when her father relinquished power in 1966 and was succeeded by a government which eventually came to be led by President Suharto. Sukarno's family was pushed into the background by the new government and stayed out of politics.