Indonesia in 2004

In late 2004, Indonesia, which had gone through major upheavals in the late 1990s following the Asian currency crisis, looked poised for a new era as a new government took charge. The situation had changed significantly since the departure, in May 1998, of General Suharto who presided over almost 32 years of authoritarian politics, amid a deepening financial, economic and social crisis. Suharto's protégé and vice-president, B J Habibie, took over the presidency from Suharto until October 1999, when Abdurrahman Wahid, a moderate Islamic cleric, was elected to office. After only 21 months in office, the controversial Wahid was impeached and replaced by his vice-president, Megawati Sukarnoputri, in July 2001.