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View all search resultsNU clerics elect Gus Kikin as chair in first indirect polls
Abdul Hakim Mahfudz, popularly known as Gus Kikin, has been elected the new NU chairman for 2026-2031, in a historic first that used an indirect voting system with the group's AHWA council of senior clerics making the final pick.
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Abdul Hakim Mahfudz, better known as Gus Kikin, (at podium) addresses the audience as the new chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) on Aug. 31, 2026, the final day of the 35th NU National Congress (Muktamar) at Pondok Pesantren Bahrul Ulum Tambakberas, an Islamic boarding school in Jombang, East Java. (Antara/Syaiful Arif)
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ahdlatul Ulama (NU) has chosen East Java cleric Abdul Hakim Mahfudz to chair the country’s largest Muslim organization in 2026-2031, following a historic election in which the final say was given to a council of senior clerics.
The nine clerics grouped in the Ahlul Halli wal-Aqdi (AHWA) all selected Abdul Hakim from a short list of five candidates following a 40-minute deliberation early on Monday, during the final day of the 35th NU National Congress at Pondok Pesantren Bahrul Ulum Tambakberas in Jombang regency, East Java.
“After deliberating on the five proposed candidates, AHWA members unanimously decided to select Abdul Hakim, commonly known as Gus Kikin, as NU chairman,” AHWA member Anwar Iskandar, who also chairs the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), announced on Aug. 31.
Gus Kikin previously headed the group’s East Java chapter and is caretaker of Pondok Pesantren Tebuireng, another Islamic boarding school in Jombang. He takes over the NU reins from Yahya Cholil Staquf, whose tenure was marred by an internal leadership dispute last year.
In his inaugural speech as NU chair, Gus Kikin pledged to “uphold NU’s rules and mandates and preserve the organization’s unity, both internally and externally”.
This marks the first time NU used an indirect mechanism via the AHWA to elect its new chair, after 401 out of 552 delegates from various regional branches voted on Sunday to expand the council’s role beyond selecting the Rais Aam, or supreme leader.
The new mechanism effectively gives NU’s senior clerical leadership authority to choose the chairman, replacing the prior direct voting system.
